Objects Are Closer Than They Appear
by Ember1313
Summary: Julian didn't know who Sam McCall thought she was, but he knew exactly who his daughter was and it was most certainly not her. As secrets are reveal Elizabeth's life is turned upside down and Port Charles will never be the same. A continuation of Sweet Child of Mine by Through the Mirror Darkly.
1. Chapter One

Disclaimer:

I own nothing related to or affiliated with Disney, ABC Daytime, or General Hospital. Characters are not mine; they are merely being borrowed.

AN:

Forever ago I ran across this amazing oneshot by Through the Mirror Darkly called Sweet Child of Mine. I'd been hoping she would at some point continue it but she never did. A couple months ago an idea to continue the fic popped in to my head and wouldn't leave. So I contacted Mariah and in all her awesomeness she agreed to let me use her oneshot as a jumping off point for this fic.

I'm super excited about what I have so far and I can't wait for ya'll to read it. I'll be posting at least once a week. Although I can be bribed to post more. ;)

~Kelly~

Background:

99% of what happened on the show prior to Julian showing up in Port Charles happened in this fic. The main exception is the Niz affair. Also there is no Aiden. I'm not 100% sure of the pairing yet but I'm leaning in a certain direction at the moment. As always if you have any questions just ask.

* * *

 **Chapter One**

Elizabeth leaned against the nurses' desk and struggled not to laugh. The look on Felix's face was priceless. Maybe Ava was right and she should have quit General Hospital months ago. If nothing else it was entertaining to watch people's reactions.

"What do you mean you're quitting?" Felix asked, shocked by the news. He had known that Elizabeth had been having a difficult time lately, but he never expected her to go this far. "I thought things were better around here?"

"As good as they'll ever get I'm sure. Look I know this is a shock..."

"That's an understatement." the young nurse huffed. Felix hated the idea of losing one of his closest friends.

"But I think is right thing for me. And more importantly, for Cameron," she said smiling at the thought of her son. Elizabeth knew the new job would give her much more time with Cam. Ava would probably insist on it. "My little boy has been through so much... I wanna spend as much time as I can with him."

"Well I guess I can understand wanting to be with your son. I'm not happy about it though."

Elizabeth laughed at her friend's pouting. Felix had been a good friend to her the last few months. She was going to miss the younger man. "Of course not. I'd be offended if you were."

"I will say you seem more relaxed than I've seen you in awhile. Care to share your little secret?" he whispered, giving her a sly wink. Apparently Felix thought a guy was behind her sudden happiness. Well, in a weird way he was sort of correct. Having Julian in town did make Elizabeth happy. Even if she hadn't seen him yet. Stubborn man.

"Just some family stuff. Good stuff, I think."

"Then I'm happy for you. Wait, what are you going to do about a job?" Felix asked, frowning almost immediately after asking. "I'm sorry that was nosy even for me."

She honestly didn't mind the question. It was nice to know that someone cared about her and Cam. "Don't worry about it Felix. And just so you know, I already have a job."

"Good. Care to tell me about this amazing job?"

"How do you know it's amazing?" Elizabeth asked, laughing at the man's curiosity. She really was going to miss General Hospital. However with Julian and Ava in town it was probably safer if she left.

"Please girl. Anyone that hires you must be as fabulous as you are."

"Flatterer," she said, shaking her head.

"Always."

* * *

Carly was starting to hate coming to General Hospital. She hated that Jason's son was sick on top of everything else that had happened. "How are you and Danny doing?" she asked Sam as they walked down the hall.

"We're okay. Alexis has been a huge help. I don't know what I'd do without her."

"It's good you have someone to lean on. There's nothing worse than having a sick child."

Sam sighed at the reminder. Of course Carly was going to find a way to make this all about her. With Jason dead you'd think the blond would leave her alone. "How is Joss?"

"Really good. You'd never even know she was sick."

"Hopefully that'll be Danny in a few years," she said, taking hope in that fact. Like her sister, Carly's daughter had made a complete recovery. At the moment it was all she had to hold on to.

"It will be, I know it. Any luck on finding a donor?"

Sam smiled at the question. Carly always hated being the last to know something. She was almost tempted not to tell her. Well if it wasn't for Alexis. The woman didn't know how to keep a secret. "That's right, you don't know."

"Know what?"

"Alexis found my dad," she said, trying not to laugh at the shocked look on Carly's face. It was mind blowing that the man would turn up after all these years.

"Your dad really?"

"I'm not even sure how she managed it," Sam shrugged, not honestly caring. She was hoping that Alexis could keep the man distracted until she could do some research on him. A father wasn't part of her plan. At least her mom completely believed her. Hopefully it would help convince Julian as well. "As it turns out, he used a fake name when they were dating."

"Oh Sam I'm so happy for you. Is this..."

"Julian." she supplied trying not to roll her eyes. Sam knew Carly only cared about Danny. The boy was her last tie to Jason. Too bad Sam planned on slowly cutting the woman out of her son's life. Just as soon as he was well.

"Julian. Is he going to be tested?"

"Yeah. I can't tell you what a relief that news was," she admitted honestly. The chance of some random man being a match was slim, but it was all she had. "The longer it takes to find a donor the more I worry."

"I'm sure."

"The test is going to take another day or two, so I'm not going to think about any of that right now. Instead I'm going to get to know Julian Jerome. I can't believe Alexis found him after all this time."

"Did you say his last name was Jerome?" Carly asked, frowning when she nodded. "Sam this might not be a good thing."

Leave it to Carly to ruin her excitement. Couldn't the woman just be happy for her? "Not a good thing? How can you even suggest that Carly?" Sam demanded to know as they sat down in a couple of chairs.

"The Jeromes were a big crime family here in Port Charles. Before Sonny became the boss they ran things."

"I still don't see what that has to do with me and Julian." she said, not happy with the news. This explained why Julian had used a fake name. Maybe Carly was wrong. It certainly wouldn't be the first time.

"Because Victor Jerome was crazy. Almost as crazy as Anthony Zacchara. If Julian is part of that family..."

"I'm sure you're just being paranoid," Sam said, brushing aside the other woman's concerns. "Julian said something about owning a publishing company."

"I hope your right. The last thing we need is some kind of mob war."

* * *

Jason stared out the window as he listened to Francis. A year. He'd been dead for over a year. Part of him didn't want to accept what his friend was saying. Some mysterious benefactor had saved him from certain death. Only he couldn't. One of the reasons for that was Jake.

His son was alive and well. Even if no one knew about that either. The same man had saved him as well. Choosing to hide the boy instead of letting Elizabeth know he was alive. Speaking of letting people know he was alive, Jason wanted to go home and he wanted Jake to come with him.

Elizabeth had been through so much. Having Jake back would ease some of her pain. Then maybe he could begin to make up for some of the pain he'd caused. The only trouble was Francis. His friend was being difficult about making arrangements. "I want to go home. Elizabeth needs to know about Jake."

"She will. I promise but you're in no shape to travel. You just woke up from a coma a couple days ago."

"Are you going to at least tell me who's holding me hostage?" he demanded to know making Francis even more annoyed. Where was this concern for Elizabeth and Jake when he was alive? And how long would it stay once Jason was back in Port Charles?

"I'm not going to fight with you Jason." Francis said calmly. Blowing up at his old boss would only make things worse. "You wanna go home believe me I understand that. I'm not here to stop you. If that was the case we would've just let you bleed out."

"Why didn't you?"

Francis shook his head at the question. Honestly he was starting to wonder that himself. "You're my friend Jason. Despite everything that's happened between us I don't want you dead."

"I'm sure I'll appreciate that once I'm back in Port Charles."

"The Doc wants you to wait five day but he's willing to let you travel in two. But that's only if everything looks good." Francis said quoting the orders from memory. The doctor had been very specific about when Jason could travel. Something he knew the younger man wouldn't like.

"Let me? No one tells me what to do."

"No offense Jason, but your not my boss anymore." he said coldly. Francis was trying not to lose his temper, but it was getting more difficult by the moment. "I was told to defer to what Doc said."

"So I'm trapped here for another two days." Jason grumbled, turning away from the window. Francis kept his eyes on Jake. It was amazing how well adjusted the young boy was. He was especially excited to be headed home soon. Francis couldn't wait to see how Elizabeth was going to react to having her son home.

"Don't look at it as being trapped. Think of it as two days you can spend with Jake."

* * *

Julian smiled as he placed the framed photograph on his desk. It was one of the few he had of Elizabeth and Cam. His daughter had sent it to him several weeks ago. They didn't have as much contact as he'd like, especially in the past few years. Things had been so tense both in Port Charles and with Julian's business. Still, it was no excuse for neglecting his daughter and grandsons. That was something that was going to stop now.

Picking up the phone he dialed a familiar number. Julian needed to check in with one of his employees. The young man had been a mess when they first met. Prison tended to do that to a person. Still something about him had caught Julian's attention. He was a good kid despite all the trouble he was in. Maybe it was the unique set of skills he possessed. Or it could be that the young man reminded Julian of himself at times.

"Hello? Julian? Are you there?" The young man asked, breaking his train of thought. Apparently he'd answered while the mob boss was thinking.

"Sorry, my mind wandered."

A soft chuckle came across the line before he said, "No problem. Although when you didn't answer..."

"You worried." Julian supplied easily. Most of his employees were worried about him being in Port Charles. Honestly part of him was too. This town was full of crazies, most of whom would be after him.

"Well, you are in Port Charles after all. How are things there?"

"Unsettling. This..." Julian paused, needing to take a moment to calm his temper. Very few people knew of his entire plan for Port Charles, and he wanted to keep it that way. The element of surprise was never a bad thing. "Person, Sam McCal,l is claiming to be my child."

"I can see why you'd be upset. What can I do to help?"

"Jamie is handling the research. I wanna know how this happened. You... I need you to come to Port Charles."

"Julian..." the voice paused suddenly. After several moments it continued, this time more carefully. "Mr. Jerome. I'm not sure that's a good idea. Actually I know it's not a good idea."

"Are you telling me no?"

"Of course not. I'm just saying..."

"I'm sure you are." Julian chuckled at the younger man's panic. He knew the man never planned on coming to Port Charles personally. Which was exactly why Julian wasn't giving him a choice. "However I need you here. You're one of the few people I trust to help me with this."

"And I appreciate that trust."

"Besides, I'm sure Elizabeth could use a friend when all this comes out."

There was a long pause before he said, "That town is full of hypocrites."

"So you'll come?"

"Yeah." Came the very reluctant answer. "I just need to wrap up some things. Give me a couple of days."


	2. Chapter Two

AN:

I am blown away by the response to this little fic. Really I'm not sure I have words. This chapter is one of my favorites so far. Poor Julian. He really can't help himself. Also I adore Cam so much.

I can't possibly respond to all the amazing comments but here are a few things:

1) Yes OB will be apart of this fic. But is he the person Julian is talking to on the phone? Maybe. Maybe not. ;)

2) Mucho thanks to Through the Mirror Darkly for letting me use her story. She's the best.

3) Jake's missing time will be revealed. Eventually. As will Francis' boss. Hehe. I actually have a little surprise in store for y'all when he gets to Port Charles. It's pretty cute IMO.

4) I love hearing your theories and guesses. Keep them coming.

5) I promise Sam gets hers.

As always any question feel free to ask.

~Kelly~

* * *

 **Chapter Two**

Elizabeth closed the door, barely containing the urge to call her father. She knew if she called Julian now they would fight. The man had absolutely no boundaries when it came to gifts. Part of her understood why. He was trying to make up for not being physically in their lives. Well that, and her father had no restraint. At least she usually got something good too.

"Cam," she called out, sitting the boxes on the coffee table. There was no point in putting off the inevitable. When she heard footsteps on the stairs Elizabeth automatically said, "No running on the stairs."

"Sorry mom." he grumbled, slowly down on the last few steps. Cam hated being punished. It usually meant no video games for the night.

"You're too much like your Grandad."

"Thank you."

"Speaking of which. He sent you a present." she said, pointing to the box with his name on it. Rushing over to the bigger of the two boxes Cameron began to open it. The moment she saw the contents Elizabeth wanted to kill her dad even more. Inside the box was several Lego sets featuring super heroes. Including Cam's favorite Iron Man. Seeing how happy her son was deflated her anger. It was clear Julian had put a lot of thought in to the gifts. "Do you like them?"

"He got me the whole set mom!" Cam exclaimed, practically bouncing with excitement. Elizabeth bit back a groan and cursed her father. The whole set? Couldn't he have just gotten one or two?

"I can see that."

"Can I play with them now?"

Elizabeth half expected the question. Her son could be so impatient at times. It was one of the few ways he reminded her of Zander. "In just a bit."

"Awww mom."

"There's something we need to talk about first." She said, pulling him on to the couch. He was growing up so fast, it was hard to believe Cam wasn't her baby anymore.

"Is this gonna be more bad news?"

"Well it's kinda complicated."

"I knew it was bad news." he grumbled dramatically, making Elizabeth laugh.

"You're so silly. Grandad is in Port Charles."

Cam's eyes immediately lit up. He had really missed his Grandad. It had been ages since they'd even talked. "Really? That is so cool. Can I see him?"

"That's the complicated part. You know how Grandad and Aunt Ava are a secret?"

"You said that secrets were bad."

"Most secrets are." Elizabeth agreed, running a hand through his curly hair. "This...it's different. You'll understand once you're older I promise."

"Fine."

"Since it's a secret, that means if we see them out you can't say hi."

"That's not fair." he pouted, crossing his arms. It wasn't fair, his Grandad was the best ever and he was finally visiting. He couldn't believe no one would know.

"I know, but I'm sure Grandad will come see you."

"That'd be cool. So can I play Legos now?"

Elizabeth sighed at the question. She'd bet that Cam hadn't heard a word she'd said. "Yes, you can play Legos."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Ava stood in the doorway and watched her brother work. They had been in Port Charles for several days. In that time Julian hadn't seen or even called his daughter. Elizabeth deserved better than this foolishness. "I never thought I'd see the day when you'd be scared of a woman."

"Sam McCall is nothing more than a nuisance and Alexis is a fool. Neither one of them scare me."

"Good to know. I worried you might have a soft spot for your first love."

"Not hardly." Julian scoffed, returning to his work. He loved Ava, but she didn't have to run a publishing empire. Not to mention the not so legal businesses he ran.

"However, I meant Elizabeth."

"Oh."

"That's all you have to say Julian? Oh?" Ava practically shouted. She couldn't believe how unaffected her brother was by this situation. "Your daughter needs you... needs her _family_. We just pretended that she wasn't one of us. I know you love her."

"Of course I do. She and Cam are two of the most important people in my life. Even if I haven't always shown it."

"Then why haven't you gone to see her?"

He sighed loudly at the question. It was clear Ava wasn't going to let this go. "You're right, I'm scared of her."

"She loves you too."

"I know, but she's angry for my..." He hesitated.

"Stupidity." Ava finished smugly. It was nice to see Julian admit that he was wrong. Especially since it happened very rarely. Her brother was the most stubborn person she knew.

"Don't help Ava. She was right, I could have found another way. So I don't blame her for being angry."

"She has the Jerome temper, that's for sure. Not to mention the fact she's stubborn."

"That she gets from her mother."

"I'm sure," Ava muttered, rolling her eyes. "It took me forever to get Elizabeth to agree to work at the gallery."

Julian's eyes shot up at the news. He hated that Elizabeth was working so hard at the hospital. His daughter really did deserve better from him. Somehow Ava had convinced her to work at the gallery. Something he was thankful to his sister for. Even if Julian wondered how she managed to pull it off. "She's not at General Hospital anymore?"

"Tomorrow is her fist day. Unless a certain dad would want to spend time with Elizabeth." she said, dropping another hint that he should call Elizabeth. He knew Ava meant well but he didn't need her help.

"Ava, I know you mean well but don't push. Elizabeth and I, we'll find our own way."

"The longer you wait to see her the more difficult it'll be." Ava warned before turning to head out of the office.

"After I tell her about Jake and Jason it'll be a miracle if she ever talks to me again."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Even though Elizabeth was reluctant to admit, it she loved working at the gallery. She especially liked the hours. Ava made sure that she was off work in time to get Cam off the bus in the afternoon. Family was just as important to her aunt as it was to her. Just like it was for her father.

It wasn't a total surprise that Julian hadn't called her again. Or stopped by to see her. Elizabeth knew he worried about hurting her further. While him stepping back hurt, she tried to understand it. The secret was about more than keeping her safe from the Jerome's enemies. That didn't mean she had to like it.

Sighing, Elizabeth closed the fridge. She wasn't in the mood to cook dinner. Cam would probably jump at the chance to eat at Kelly's. "Homework done?" She asked, coming into the living room.

"Yup. Even the math."

Elizabeth laughed at the statement "I hated math in school too. How about we go to Kelly's for dinner?"

"Can I get a milkshake?" He asked, practically bouncing with excitement. Cam was starting to like this new job his mom had gotten.

"Maybe after you eat your veggies."

He groaned loudly at the statement. He hated vegetables. "But they're _green_ mom."

"I'm sure you'll live. Now go get your shoes on so we can go."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Alexis was relieved to see Julian standing in Kelly's courtyard. It had been days since they spoke at General Hospital. Part of her hoped to see him again. After all he had to be curious about their daughter. Not to mention they were all anxious to learn the results of bone marrow test. As Sam's father there was a good chance that he'd be a match.

Part of her still couldn't believe that Julian Jerome was Sam's father. At least now she understood why he used a fake name. The Jerome family was almost an infamous around Port Charles as the Cassadines. Poor Sam. Hopefully no one would fill her in on that side of her family.

For now, Alexis' priority was to make sure her grandson didn't die. "Julian, I was hoping to run into you."

"You want to know the test results," he guessed easily. Honestly, Julian had hoped to avoid the mother of his child for a while longer.

"Not to be rude, but yes. You can understand how worried I am about Danny."

"I can. Family is very important to me too."

"Good. I know Sam will be happy to hear that. Speaking of which..." she said pausing as Sam came out of Kelly's. "Sweetie, look who I ran into."

Sam smiled at the man. It was amusing to see Alexis around her father. Apparently the woman still harbored feelings for the man. "Julian. It's good to see you again. I stopped by your office."

"Ashley told me. Things have been very busy the last few days."

"I understand. I was just hoping we could talk, you know?" she said trying to sound uncertain. Julian didn't seem as eager as Alexis to form some sort of bond. However, if she tried to push Sam knew it could backfire easily.

"I'm sure."

"Maybe we could have lunch or something this week. Or you could stop by and visit with Danny."

Julian tried not to smile as he saw Elizabeth and Cam approach. It was almost impossible to be this close to them. More proof that staying away was a mistake. It was something he needed to fix. Right after dealing with Sam McCall. "I was going to call but..."

"Grandad! Mommy said I would see you!"


	3. Chapter Three

AN:

This is why you don't work with kids or animals. ;) Of course Cam was going to ruin the secret. Poor Poor Elizabeth. She's really gonna have a rough couple chapters.

I wanted to let everyone know I'm still blown away by all the comments. I never expected to this to get such a reaction. I hope everyone likes what I have planned.

As always any question feel free to ask.

~Kelly~

* * *

 **Chapter Three**

"Grandad! Mommy said I would see you!" Cam shouted, running towards him. The look on his daughter's face nearly made him laugh. Julian would bet she'd told Cam that things were still a secret. It was sort of amusing that his grandson was the one to blow their secret. Not that he really minded. Truthfully, it was long overdue.

Crouching down, Julian hugged the young boy tightly. It had been too long since he's seen Cam. "I guess mom was right. I've missed you."

"Where have you been? It's been forever!"

"Cam, it hasn't been forever." Elizabeth scolded gently, trying not to smile. She should have known her son couldn't keep a secret. She just wished he hadn't spilled the beans in front of Sam and her _mother_.

"Fine, but it's been a long time. Are you having dinner with us?"

"There's nothing else I'd rather do." He promised, ignoring the confused looks from Sam and Alexis. It would have been amusing if Sam wasn't so dangerous. Julian knew she was going to be a problem once her con started to unravel. "Why don't you and mom go grab a table?"

"You didn't have to..."

"I know," Julian said, cutting his daughter off. It was easy for him to see how worried she was. He hated that she'd had to deal with so much alone. Of course, it was his own fault that he hadn't been there, "We'll talk about everything later."

"Elizabeth is your daughter? How is that possible?" Alexis immediately demanded to know. Julian had hoped she'd see the truth once things came to light. "I didn't even know you had another child."

"Yes, well life is full of surprises," He chuckled, shaking his head. Julian wondered what had happened to the smart girl he'd known. Taking a deep breath he continued, "As I was saying, Dr. Clay informed me that I wasn't a match."

"Is he sure?"

"He seemed certain. I'm sorry that I couldn't be of any help." Julian said sincerely. While he wanted to make Sam pay, that didn't include hurting her son. Going after children was a sign of cowardice in his opinion, "I really do have to go."

"Well, that was weird."

Sam frowned at the statement. This was an unexpected complication. If Elizabeth was already claiming to be Julian's child, it was going to be even harder to gain his trust. Who knew what lies that bitch had told him already. "I didn't expect him to be so distant. It's like he doesn't care."

"Oh Sam, I'm sure that's not true. Julian's still probably adjusting to having another child," Alexis sighed and wrapped an arm around her oldest child. She could understand Sam's disappointment. Julian's current behavior wasn't something she'd expected either. Maybe she could talk with her ex about how fragile their daughter was.

"Maybe."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"I'm sorry about Cam..."

Julian reached across the table to cover her hand with his. "Elizabeth, peanut, it's fine. I promise. It's long past time to stop hiding. Cam did us a favor."

"Well, there's no way my being a Jerome will stay a secret now." Elizabeth laughed nervously. This wasn't something she'd expected. Although part of her was glad that everything was out in the open. If nothing else it meant her dad didn't have any more reasons to push her away.

"Then we'll deal with it as a family. Right Cam?"

"Yup," the young boy agreed. Cam was really excited to spend time with his Grandad. "Mommy says family has to stick together."

"She's right. How's the job?"

Elizabeth shook her head at the question. Of all the things for her dad to start with she hadn't been expecting that. "I still can't believe Ava talked me into working with her."

"Your Aunt can be convincing when she puts her mind to it."

"Must be a family trait."

"I guess so. After dinner..." Julian started before trailing off. He knew they needed to talk, especially about Jake and Jason. However he didn't want to drop all this on her in public, "I need to tell you some things."

"Are you going to apologize?"

Julian nodded and said, "That's one of the things I need to say. However there's a lot more."

"Sounds serious." Elizabeth replied, a little worried what else her father might have to say. It had been years since she'd seen him so solemn. Whatever Julian had to say, she had a feeling she wasn't going to like it.

"It is. Very serious."

"Then I guess we should talk. We could get dinner to go."

Cam frowned when the adults started to get up. They hadn't even ordered yet. "What about my milk shake?"

"Cam..."

"Don't worry I'll get you a milk shake." Julian promised, earning a glare from his daughter. Getting her annoyed really shouldn't amuse him so much.

"Awesome!"

"You shouldn't spoil him." Elizabeth scolded half-heartedly.

"I'm his granddad, of course I should spoil him _and_ you." Julian disagreed as they left the small restaurant. Of course, he'd expected Elizabeth's protests. She'd been pretty much on her own for a long time now.

"You're impossible when you're like this." Elizabeth countered, not seeing Sam until the other woman stepped into their path. "I really don't need this today."

"Wait," Sam pleaded when she tied to walk past. "Elizabeth we need to talk."

"Sam… can you take Cameron home?" she asked Julian reluctantly. Elizabeth had no idea what Sam wanted, but she didn't want her son anywhere near the woman. She still occasionally had nightmares about that day in the park.

"I'm always happy to spend time with my grandson."

Elizabeth let out a mental sigh of relief when Julian and Cam rounded the corner. At least her dad left without asking too many questions. Now all she had to do was get rid of Port Charles's resident con artist. "What do you want Sam?"

"To know how Julian Jerome is suddenly your father." Sam demanded, getting in her face. She couldn't believe that Elizabeth was trying to mess her plans up yet again. Apparently the other woman hadn't learned to stay away from her yet. Something Sam was willing to fix.

"I don't have to explain anything to you."

"You're not going to steal my life again. I won't let you."

The threat was very familiar. So much so that Elizabeth nearly laughed at it. How Sam ever managed to con anyone was beyond her. "Since I never stole anything from you, there's nothing to worry about."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Alright. I understand. Thanks for letting me know. I'll be in touch."

"Who was that?" Jason asked the moment Francis hung up. It felt like forever since he'd woken up. All he wanted was to get back to Port Charles and let people know he was alive. So far Francis had managed to avoid answering any of his questions. Instead his friend would encourage him to spend time with Jake.

Which was another reason he wanted to go home. He'd missed so much while trapped in a coma. There were so many people he wanted to talk to, besides Elizabeth. The top of his list included Monica and Sam. They both deserved to know what was going on. Sam especially. He and the other woman needed to have a long talk when he got back to Port Charles.

"Doc. He was calling with an update."

"What kind of update?"

Francis wanted to laugh at the glare Jason shot at him. There was a time it might have worked. However, Jason was no longer his boss, which meant he could ignore the man's threats. "The kind that says you and Jake can return to Port Charles."

"Really, when?"

"As soon as the plane is ready."

"Just like that?" Jason asked, clearly suspicious by the sudden change in plans. And really Francis couldn't blame him. A year was a lot to miss. He was sure Jason had to be overwhelmed. Still, that didn't change Francis' orders.

"What do you want from me Jason?"

"For starters I wanna know who your boss is."

"This again?" Francis grumbled, crossing the room. He really didn't have the time to deal with round six hundred of this conversation, "It doesn't matter."

"I don't agree."

"My boss is the guy who saved your life. That's all you need to know for now."

Jason scoffed at the statement. He was tired of Francis avoiding his questions. "And Jake? Should I just accept that too?" He demanded as the other man continued to ignore him.

"Right now, you don't have choice. I'm going to get Jake packed, you might wanna do the same thing."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Julian knew he was going to be in serious trouble with his daughter. Ice cream was not an appropriate dinner for a growing boy. The spaghetti he was having delivered might smooth things over with Elizabeth, but he doubted it. "Did you get my present?"

"Uh huh. You shoulda seen mommy's face. I thought her head was gonna explode." Cam giggled.

"I'm sure. Legos wouldn't have been her first choice." He agreed, ruffling his grandson's hair. "As long as you pick them up."

"Awww man. I hate cleaning."

"Me too buddy. That's why I leave it to the nurses." Matt said from his spot on the porch steps.

"Matt! I've missed you! Where did you go?" Cam asked, practically jumping into the man's arms.

"I missed you too Cam." He said while trying to avoid Cam's ice cream cone. "Julian."

"You know my Grandad?"

Matt wanted to laugh at the younger boy's excitement. He'd missed Cam while away. "Of course. I kinda work for him."

"That's so cool."

"Yeah. It is."

"You get everything done?" Julian asked as the pair settled on the steps. He hadn't expected Matt for another couple of days. Hopefully it meant Jake would be home soon.

"The entire list," he nodded barley meeting his boss's eyes. Even after all this time he wasn't entirely comfortable with working for Julian Jerome.

"Good job."

"Where's Elizabeth?" Matt asked, needing to change the subject. "Because I'm pretty sure she didn't approve of that ice cream."

"My daughter is well aware I can't tell Cam no. She's going to be happy to see you Matt."

"I wish I shared your confidence. What I did..."

"Was an accident. You need to forgive yourself," Julian insisted firmly. He hated that Matt couldn't get past what he'd done, "Lisa...was a dangerous woman."

"That didn't give me the right... I regret what I did."

"You wouldn't be human if you didn't."

Matt really couldn't disagree with what his boss was saying. After all they'd had this conversation a few dozen times in the last few months. "I'm just worried about facing Elizabeth and Patrick."

"Speaking of the devil..." Julian chuckled as Elizabeth's car pulled into the driveway.

"Matt? What... how... It's so good to see you."


	4. Chapter Four

AN:

Sighhh... I have no words. Honestly. This last month has been crazy for both myself an my beta. Thankfully it's seemed to calm down. Good news is ch 5 is nearly ready.

This chapter was so fun to write. I like how it all came together. We're finally getting to the good stuff.

As always any question feel free to ask.

~Kelly~

* * *

 **Chapter Four**

"Matt? What... how... It's so good to see you." she managed to say after a moments pause. Elizabeth wondered if this was what her dad wanted to talk about. Somehow she doubted Matt being back was what he was so worried about telling her.

"It's good to see you too."

Julian tried not to enjoy the stunned look on his daughter's face. It felt good to surprise her with something like this. However he knew Jake and Jason were going to get him a totally different reaction. "I'm going to take Cam inside and let the two of you catch up."

"We're going to talk about that ice cream," Elizabeth warned as they headed inside.

"Of course."

"I tried to warn him."

"You... you know Julian?"

"Yeah..." Matt trailed off uncomfortably. He _really_ wanted to hate Julian for making him come back to Port Charles. Running a hand over the back of his neck he said, "He sprung me from prison somehow. Honestly I was too relieved to ask. Your dad's been good to me the last few months."

"So you know about that?" She asked, only slightly surprised that her dad was honest with Matt about his business. She did have to wonder what Julian's real reason for getting her friend out of prison. Her dad rarely did anything without at least three motives. He was kind of annoying that way.

"Julian's been pretty upfront with me about a lot of things."

"It sounds like you like him."

Matt thought for several seconds about the question before responding, "I don't know about all that, but I do think he's a good boss. Better than Patrick that's for sure."

"Speaking of your brother... have you seen him yet?"

"Not yet," he admitted easily. Of everyone he knew Elizabeth would understand why he hadn't come back to Port Charles, even if she didn't like his reasons. Patrick on the other hand, probably not so much. The last thing Matt wanted was another fight with his brother. "I was hoping to put off seeing either one of you for... well honestly as long as possible."

"Matt..."

"I know. Believe me I've been told several times that Lisa's death wasn't my fault."

Elizabeth shook her head not sure he really believed that. Lisa had nearly killed her and she felt nothing but relief the woman was gone, "It really wasn't. After everything she did, I'm not sorry Lisa's dead."

"Me either."

"Well I guess that's a start."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sonny tried not to scream as Kate tuned him down. What did it matter if he was with Olivia a few days ago? All he cared about was that his Kate was back. He wanted nothing more than to be with her again. However the stubborn woman refused to cooperate. "I don't understand why you're fighting me on this. You know we were meant to be together."

"No, I don't know that," She replied calmly. Kate knew that losing her temper would only make things worse. All she really wanted was for the man in front of her to leave her alone. Something she knew Sonny wasn't likely to do on his own. "What I _do_ know is every time my back is turned you go running to my cousin."

"Look, Olivia understands how things are. She's there for me when I need someone. But Kate, I love _you_."

"I'm not so sure about that anymore Sonny."

"We were about to get married, and you're just going to throw that away?" He demanded to know angrily. Damn Olivia for not being able to keep her mouth shut. What was it with woman and betraying him?

"Sonny!" Carly yelled, rushing into his office.

"Perfect, another one of your exs." Kate muttered rolling her eyes at the interruption. Actually she was grateful that Carly showed up. The brash woman served as another reminder why she could never be with Sonny.

"What are you doing here?"

"I was invited unlike some people."

"Now look here..."

Sonny shook his head at the fight that was about to break out. "Carly, stop fighting with Kate."

"Whatever," She muttered, tossing her blonde hair. Carly had no idea what Sonny saw in the uptight woman. But she couldn't seem to get rid of Kate for good. "It's not like she's going to stick around this time anyways."

"Did you come over for a reason? Or just to snipe at my guest?"

"Now I don't know if I wanna tell you."

"Of course you want to tell him." Kate scoffed knowingly. The other woman was a shameless gossip. "That's why you came running over here, isn't it?"

"One of these days... fine I'll tell you. Apparently, Elizabeth is Julian Jerome's daughter."

"That's not possible." Sonny frowned at the news. Julian Jerome was trying to destroy everything he'd built. There was no way he was going to let someone steal it away from him.

"According to Sam it is."

"When did all this happen?"

"At Kelly's earlier today." Carly said eagerly. She knew that Sonny wasn't going to react well to the news. She almost couldn't believe that Elizabeth had spent years lying to them. Almost. That bitch had done nothing but ruin her life since Jason met her. "She and Julian were talking when Elizabeth's kid ran up to him. The two clearly knew one another."

"That doesn't mean Elizabeth is a Jerome."

"The kid called Julian grandad. Besides that, he practically admitted it was true to Alexis."

"Damn it. This is the last thing I need," Sonny practically growled. Who knew how much inside information Elizabeth had given Jerome over the years? If Jason wasn't dead he would have killed him for this mess. "I can't believe Elizabeth lied to us all these years. Where the hell is her loyalty?"

"Thank you, Sonny," Kate muttered reaching for her purse. It was like she was seeing who Sonny truly was for the first time. She didn't really know Elizabeth well, but she seemed like a decent person. Plus Carly seemed to hate her so she couldn't be too bad. No matter what, Elizabeth didn't deserve to have Sonny plotting against her.

"Wait, for what?" Sonny asked, confused.

"Proving to me that it could never work between us."

"Kate, you don't mean that. Come back so we can talk... see what you've done."

"Me? If anyone is to blame it's Elizabeth. She's the one who's been lying."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sam paced the penthouse living room. On the coffee table was a stack of files about Derek Wells, aka Julian Jerome. The man was insane, hell the whole family was. Not Helena level insane but close. Still, none of the information gave her insight to her _father_.

Unlike Alexis, the man didn't seem to care they were family. He didn't want a connection to his _little girl_. Too bad he hadn't been a match to Danny. That would have been the perfect connection to exploit. Damn it. Why couldn't things go right just once?

She could feel her con start to fall apart. Why did Alexis have to have such terrible taste in men? Sonny, Ric, Julian. All three men were connected to the mob in some way. It was almost sad. Still, it was the woman's poor judgment that made her an easy target. Honestly Sam had never planned on running this con so long. But coming to Port Charles had been like hitting the jackpot. Finding out about Alexis's lost child had just been icing on the cake. Between her and Jason she was connected to the most rich and powerful families in town.

Her life had been perfect, until Saint Elizabeth had ruined it. She's spent months, years even trying to repair the damage Elizabeth had caused, but nothing was ever the same. Even after she married Jason and got pregnant. The other woman haunted her.

And now that bitch was trying to ruin everything again. After all these years she was suddenly claiming to be Julian Jerome's daughter. Well, Sam didn't buy it. She was too weak to be a mob boss's child. Julian was just another man to fall for her lies and manipulations. Well Sam was just going to have to stop her. Maybe permanently this time.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Elizabeth practically pushed Matt into the house. She was still trying to wrap her head around the fact that he was even there. Of course, anything was better than him being trapped at Pentonville. She couldn't believe her dad hadn't mention anything about getting Matt released to her. It was just like him to keep something like this a secret. Matt was probably no help either. Elizabeth hated how guilty her friend felt of Lisa's death.

"Matt, come play Legos!" Cam said the moment he saw the other man. "Grandad got me Iron Man."

"I see you took my advice."

Elizabeth arched an eyebrow at both men and asked, "You're to blame for the Lego invasion?"

"Just the Iron Man," Matt said, holding up his hands in surrender. His friend could be feisty when it came to her boys. From the look on her face he could only imagine how overboard Julian had gone. "I told Julian it was Cam's favorite."

"You're as bad as he is." Elizabeth teased playfully.

Matt let out a short laugh. He'd forgotten how much he enjoyed being around Elizabeth. "I'm guessing you don't mean that as a compliment." He smirked.

"Oh, go play Legos," She muttered, waving them both upstairs.

"Yes ma'am."

"I've never seen Matt that relaxed," Julian spoke up from the couch. It had been interesting to see the younger man interacting with Elizabeth and Cam. Knowing they had each other to lean on made him worry a little less. "Being back in Port Charles obviously agrees with him."

"Maybe. I'm certainly glad he's back. Is this one of the things we needed to talk about?" She asked cautiously. Matt being free was a good thing, and she couldn't imagine Julian worrying that much about her reaction about it. Elizabeth knew there had to be something else.

"It's _part_ of what I wanted to tell you."

Elizabeth frowned at the admission. She hated when people kept secrets from her, especially Julian. Her dad didn't do anything half way, and that included secrets. "I'm not going to like this, am I?"

"That depends on..." Julian paused, unsure how to even start. He'd made so many mistakes with his daughter. Even if he had thought it was for the best at the time. "Well, a lot of things to be honest. First I wanted to say I'm so sorry, Elizabeth. Staying away was the worst thing I could've done."

"When you pushed us away it hurt so much. Even if part of me understood why."

He shook his head vehemently at Elizabeth's easy acceptance. It made Julian want to hit someone. Starting with himself. His little girl had been so disappointed so often it was like she almost expected it. "No, don't do that. You have every right to be angry. What I did was wrong and no excuse is good enough. All I can do is apologize and promise it'll never happen again. Family sticks together."

"Promise?"

Julian hated how fragile she sounded at the moment. So many people had let Elizabeth down. While he couldn't change the past, he could do better in the future. "I swear. Besides, the whole town probably knows you're my daughter by now."

"Probably. You know she's going to be a problem, right?"

"I'm counting on it." He said, all warmth suddenly gone from his voice. Julian had plans for Sam McCall. Naturally those plans hinged on what the con woman decided to do next. As long as she left his family alone, Julian didn't care much about his fake daughter.

"Okay, I'm not going to ask." Elizabeth laughed a little bit nervously.

"Smart girl. I'd hate to have to lie to you."

"As long as you promise it'll never happen again, I forgive you for acting so stupid before."

"That's good, but you might want to wait until I tell you everything." Julian said nervously. He knew Elizabeth was going to be angry for all the pain he'd let her go through. And honestly he couldn't blame her. However Julian had needed to do something to protect his grandson from Helena Cassadine.

"You're starting to scare me."

"I don't mean to. Do you remember when Jake died?"

Elizabeth nodded with a frown. Losing Jake was the worst thing to ever happen to her. She still hadn't even _begun_ to recover form the devastating loss. "It's all I can think about some days. I miss him so much."

"I'm sorry you went through that, Peanut. Truly. If there had been any other way..."

"What are you saying?"

"Jake isn't dead. One of my men found out about Helena's plot and grabbed him." Julian said in a rush bracing himself for Elizabeth's anger.

"And you just, what, decided to _keep_ him from me?" She demanded incredulously.

"It wasn't like that," Julian promised, trying to calm his daughter down. Unfortunately, Elizabeth had his temper. Something he regretted at the moment. However he had to get her to at least hear him out. "I had to be sure that he was safe from her. That all of you were."

"Where is he? Where's my son?" She demanded, barely able to process what Julian was saying. Of course Helena was behind Jake being hurt. No one else was evil enough to harm a child. Well, almost no one else. A few other names immediately popped into her mind, including one Sam McCall.

"On his way to Port Charles. In fact, they should be landing pretty soon."

At the news all off Elizabeth's anger drained away. "Really? My baby is coming home?" She asked, pulling Julian in for a hug. Suddenly nothing mattered except the fact Jake was coming home.

"Really."

"I know I should be furious with you but I'm too happy at the moment."

"For what it's worth, I hated hurting you," Julian said, pulling away slightly. While he was happy Elizabeth wasn't angry right now, he knew should would be at some point. Especially since he had one more secret to tell her. "There is one more small detail."

"Come _on_ Dad. I'm not sure I can stand another shock." Elizabeth grimaced.

"And I sympathize, but I'd rather you hear it from me first."

Elizabeth took a deep breath and tried to prepare herself for whatever her dad was about to say. Honestly, unless it was about Jake she wasn't sure she even cared at the moment. Having her little boy alive was a miracle. Nothing else could top that. After a few moments she said, "Okay, I'm ready. What is it?"

"Jake isn't the only one on the plane. Jason is alive too."


	5. Chapter Five

AN:

Haha Poor Julian. Don't worry he has his coming.

As always any question feel free to ask.

~Kelly~

* * *

 **Chapter Five**

Elizabeth's eyes narrowed at the rushed statement. She couldn't believe Julian had kept so many important things from her. It made her wonder what else he might be hiding, "What do you mean Jason is alive?"

"Now Elizabeth..."

"Don't you now Elizabeth me." she replied her voice getting louder with every word. Elizabeth paused and glanced at the stairs. The last thing she wanted was Cam to find out about Jake like this. Lowering her voice she continued, "Why are you just telling me all this now?"

"In part because Jason finally woke up."

"Woke up? Was he hurt?"

Julian reluctantly nodded. Although hurt wasn't an accurate description. The enforcer had been near death for months. Not saying anything seemed like the best choice at the time. Of course Elizabeth wouldn't see it that way. "Between the blood loss and nearly drowning his body couldn't handle it. One of my men found him just in time. Unfortunately he's been a coma until a few days ago. For a long time we weren't sure Jason was even going to live. I didn't want to put you through any more heartache if he died."

Elizabeth let out a sigh. It was difficult to stay mad at her dad when he said stuff like that. Damn him. "You don't have to protect me I'm an adult now," she reminded Julian softly. Although part of her liked that her dad was still trying to look out for her. Elizabeth just wished he went about it in better ways.

"I will always want to protect you Elizabeth."

"This is it right? You don't have anymore huge secrets right?"

"I promise that was it." Julian promised trying not to laugh at her outrage. It reminded him so much of when she was a little girl.

"It better be," Elizabeth pouted causing him to shake his head. Almost immediately she smiled and asked, "So when are they landing?"

"A couple hours. Plenty of time for you to yell at me."

"Very funny dad."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Francis shook his head as he watched Jason pace the small plane cabin. They still has another two hours before the plane landed. Thankfully Jake didn't seemed phased by the activity. "Pacing isn't going to make the plane go any faster."

"You've mentioned that," Jason said lowering himself into a chair. He knew that pacing wasn't going to help but he had too much energy to sit still. He couldn't believe that he'd lost a year of his life. It was a lot to process especially since he'd have to reveal himself to so many people. He had a feeling the next few days weren't going to be any easier, "I'm just excited about finally going home. Does Elizabeth know about Jake? The last thing I want is to surprise her at the door."

"Elizabeth knows about Jake and you. I know having Jake back is going to be great for her and Cam," Francis said smiling. In fact he couldn't wait to see the young mother again. Especially with all the changes going on at the moment.

"Losing Jake devastated her. She closed herself off for months after that. We just started talking again when I was almost killed."

"Don't worry Elizabeth has people watching out for her."

"People? What people?"

"You mean besides me?" he answered with a shrug. Francis wasn't about to tell his former boss anything. Let him learn about Elizabeth's real family on his own. He didn't owe Jason or Sonny anything. "People who consider her and the boys family."

"I just don't want her hurt again."

Francis had to agree with the statement. The last thing Elizabeth deserved was more pain. He had to hope that Julian was serious about staying in Port Charles. If he left it would break Elizabeth's heart. "Don't worry we'll take care of Elizabeth."

"Does this we include your mysterious boss?"

"A year is a long time to be gone, Jason. A lot has changed. You need to focus on that."he replied instead of answering the question. Apparently Jason was forgetting a lot of things about Port Charles.

"You're right things in Port Charles have change but not everything. Elizabeth and I will always have this amazing connection."

"You're hoping to get back together with her again? After everything?"

Jason grimaced at the shock in his friend's voice. Clearly Francis knew something about his complicated past with Elizabeth. "Look I messed up I know that. But what we had... I want to correct the mistakes I made. Being a family with her and the boys is all I ever wanted."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"You have a great kid, Elizabeth," Matt said coming down the steps. It was funny how much he'd enjoyed hanging out with Cam. "Thanks for letting me hang out with him."

"Why wouldn't I?"

He shrugged uncomfortably at Elizabeth's glare. His mom had the same one and to be honest Matt didn't miss it one bit. "Besides the fact I killed someone? Cam shouldn't look up to someone like me."

"We are going to have a long talk about this terrible self image you have later." Elizabeth grumbled at her friend. She was determined to convince Matt he shouldn't blame himself for Lisa's death. "Much later. Right now I'm too excited to yell at you. Jake is alive!"

"I know," he said laughing at her excitement. Matt remembered how losing the young boy had shaken her. He knew having him back was going to be great for Elizabeth.

"You knew? Why didn't you say anything?"

"I didn't know about Jake until recently," he promised joining Elizabeth on the couch. Keeping Jake a secret even for a few short weeks hadn't sat well with Matt. "Jason had been one of my projects since Julian got me out. He was in real bad shape for a long time."

"Yeah my dad mentioned that. Is it wrong I don't know how to feel about Jason being alive?" she asked frowning at the realization. If you had asked Elizabeth she would have said she'd be thrilled if Jason was alive. But now knowing he was on his way back to Port Charles barely registered with her. Maybe there was something wrong with her.

"How you feel is never wrong. Finding out about Jake is a lot to handle. Add in your dad and Ava, me showing up, and now Jason being alive. You're probably overwhelmed," he pointed out gently. In return Elizabeth smiled and leaned against him. Matt could feel the tension running through her body. The realization worried him especially since things were bound to get worse before they got better.

"I'm so glad you're back but you're right. The only thing I can think about is holding my little boy again."

"Then focus on that everything else will work itself out."

Elizabeth hoped that he was telling the truth. Because at the moment it seemed impossible. "Thanks Matt you're a great friend."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Jason tried not to laugh at how nervous he was. This was the third time this particular scene had played out. Him bring Jake back home after the boy had been kidnapped. This time however was going to be the last. Elizabeth and the boys had been through enough. Letting out a sigh he knocked on the door. Immediately Elizabeth opened it clearly excited to see at least Jake. "Hello Elizabeth."

"Jason I'm so glad you're alive." She smiled and gave him a quick hug. It was good to see him looking healthy. However Elizabeth's main focus was their son. Reaching for him she said, "Hey Baby. Mommy missed you. Thank you."

"It was mostly Francis and his boss. I didn't really do anything."

"You didn't die and that's enough." Elizabeth pointed out sitting Jake on the sofa. Her dad was distracting Cam for the moment. Honestly she still wasn't sure how to expalin this to her oldest son.

"Seeing you and Jake is thanks enough," he said watching them intently. Jason regretted every moment he'd spent apart from them. He knew Francis thought being with Elizabeth again was crazy. And normally he would respect his friend's opinion. This time Jason just couldn't. He knew what he shared with Elizabeth was special. No matter what happened nothing could destroy what they had. "Elizabeth..."

"Yeah?"

"I was hoping we could talk about the last few years and about us. Everything that happened between us."

Elizabeth was a little shocked by the statement. This was honestly the last thing she needed right now. There was no much going on she just didn't have the energy to deal with Jason too. "Right now? Tonight? Because right now I need to concentrate on Jake."

"You're right. Jake and Cam have to come first. Maybe in a day or two once things have calmed down?"

"Sure. I'd like that," she said reluctantly. Elizabeth knew the next few days were going to be chaotic for him. There was a real chance Jason would forget all about her again. Especially with Danny being so sick. So while she wanted to trust Jason she just couldn't. Not yet anyways.

"Me too. I'm going to go and tell people I'm alive I guess."

"That's probably a good idea. I know Monica could use some good news."

Jason frowned at the statement. Francis had told him about Edward. It still seemed surreal to Jason that the older man was really dead. "Then I'll start at the mansion. See ya later."

"You too."


	6. Chapter Six

AN:

I hope you like the first of my little twists in this fic.

~Kelly~

* * *

 **Chapter Six**

Telling Monica had been relatively easy. He wasn't the first person to return from the dead in Port Charles. Knowing this town he probably wouldn't be the last either. Now he stood outside the penthouse. This had been him home much of his life as Jason Morgan. Still he was having trouble knocking. Maybe it was his complex feelings for Sam. They'd been through so much together. Jason knew him being alive was going to shock the woman. But it's not like he could put it off forever.

Several seconds after knocking on the door it opened. You could immediately see the shock in Sam's face when she saw him. "Jason? Is that really you?" she asked almost afraid it was another dream. Although it had been weeks since the last one.

"It's really me."

"I thought..." she trailed off pulling him inside. He looked okay, maybe a little pale, making her wonder where he'd been the last year. "we all thought you were dead. Where have you been?"

Jason flinched at the accusation. It wasn't all that different that what Monica asked. And they both deserved answers. Only he didn't have that many to give them. Francis was being unusually tight lipped about his new boss. Maybe now that they were back in Port Charles he could more information from his friend, "In a coma until a few days ago. I had no idea what was going on. I'm so sorry you and Danny were hurt," he said sincerely. Jason might not know how he felt about Sam but he didn't want her hurt either. None of this was her fault.

"Danny... oh Jason. It's been a nightmare.," she said sitting in the sofa. Having Jason was such a relief. Sam had felt so alone since their son had gotten sick. Now that Jason was back everything was going to be okay. "Our little boy he's so sick. I've been going out of my mind worrying about him."

This was certainly unexpected. He wondered why Monica hadn't said anything. Maybe Francis was right about how much had changed since he'd been gone. Sitting down on the sofa Jason wrapped an arm around Sam, "Don't worrying I'm here now and I'm going to do everything I can to make sure our son gets better."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kate paused in the office doorway. She couldn't stop thinking about what Carly had announced. Knowing Julian it made some kind of sense that Elizabeth was his child. Now that she knew the truth she could see the similarities between the two. "So I hear congratulations are in order, dad."

"Good morning to you too Kate," Julian chuckled. He wasn't surprised that the news about Elizabeth was spreading around town. In fact this played into what his plans perfectly.

"Seriously though how did I not know Elizabeth Webber is your daughter?"

"I didn't think you and Sam McCall moved in the same social circles."

"We don't thankfully," she said gratefully. Dealing with Carly was bad enough. Adding Sam to the mix might send her over the edge. "Unfortunately her buddy Carly is also one of Sonny's many exs."

"So Elizabeth was right the whole town knows."

"Mostly likely. Carly isn't one to keep secrets, well unless they're hers."

"Typical. This town is full of hypocrites. Your ex included," Julian grumbled half to himself. He didn't really care who knew. Elizabeth was one of the most important people in his life. And the idea of her being attacked yet again didn't sit well.

"You'll get no arguments from me on that one. Can you believe he expected me to take him back after sleeping with Olivia again? Please I have some self respect."

"Of course you do" he agreed easily. Sonny Corinthos probably didn't know what to do with a woman like Kate. "A beautiful woman like you deserves to be treated well. Something I doubt Sonny Corinthos could ever understand."

"I just wish I could convince him to leave me alone."

"Maybe you need to start seeing someone else or at least appear to. I doubt Sonny is the kind of man to chase a woman for too long. Especially if she was seeing an enemy."

Kate knew he had a point. The moment she started seeing someone else Sonny would be screaming about her so called betrayal. It was almost pathetic how predictable her ex was. The trouble was going to be finding a man willing to take on Sonny Corinthos. Even just for a few fake dates. "Are you offering Mr. Jerome?" she asked half expecting Julian to turn her down.

He took a moment to think about the question. There was no denying Kate Howard was a beautiful woman. Taking her to dinner wouldn't be any hardship. Plus he'd get to further ruffle Sonny's feathers. It sounded like a win all around. "I think we can work something out Ms. Howard."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Patrick was having a rough day. To be honest it was more like a rough year. Ever since Robin died he'd been struggling to hold things together. His brother choosing to go to prison over something like killing Lisa Niles didn't help matters any. As far as he was concerned Matt deserved a medal. Instead he was facing five years in Pentonville. The world didn't make any sense some times.

Leaning back into the cushions Patrick let out a sigh. It was tempting to simply fall asleep on the couch. Unfortunately Emma was going to demand dinner at any moment. At least he wasn't on call tonight. Maybe he'd finally get a few hours sleep.

Hearing a knock on the door Patrick frowned. He couldn't imagine who was knocking on his door. Especially since Elizabeth and Anna both had keys. Patrick considered for several moments about not answering the door at all. After another loud knock he finally got up. "If you're selling something I'm not..."

"Interested?" Matt finished with a chuckle. The look on his brother face was priceless. He almost wished he had a camera. "You could at least hear me out first."

"You're really here?" Patrick asked after several minutes of silence. He didn't understand how this was possible.

"Yeah I am," he said quietly. Almost immediately his brother pulled him into a bear hug. It was obvious the other man was happy to see him, "Okay Patrick I need to breathe."

"How are here? I thought you had to serve the whole five years. Wait you didn't break out of prison did you?"

Matt didn't know how to answer that question. He still didn't now how Julian managed to get him released. Honestly it was probably better if he didn't ask those types of questions. "No Patrick I didn't break out. Jeeze what's being going on since I left?"

"The usual craziness. So if you didn't break out..."

"Honestly I have no idea," Matt admitted reluctantly. His brother wasn't the type to let stuff go. Patrick would want answers and he doubted Julian would be willing to give them. "One day the guard tells me to pack my stuff that I'm being released. I get outside and there's the car waiting on me."

"Please tell me it wasn't Sonny Corinthos."

He immediately scoffed at the idea. Prison was hell but he wasn't that desperate to get out. "Like I'd take anything from him. Julian Jerome got me out. In part he says because of Elizabeth."

"Elizabeth? Why would this Jerome guy care about Elizabeth?" Patrick asked frowning at the situation. He didn't know who this Jerome guy was but he was thankful about Matt at least. It was strange that Elizabeth never mentioned him though.

"Apparently he's her dad."

He almost didn't believe Matt. Only it made some sorts of sense especially since Elizabeth never talked about her parents. "You're not kidding are you?" he asked after a couple moments.

"Nope."

"Damn."

"It took me by surprise too" Matt laughed as they sat on the couch. It was surreal to be sitting with his brother having a normal conversation. He could almost pretend the last eighteen months hadn't happened. "The upside is Julian's a decent boss. He doesn't ask me to anything too shady."

"At least there's that. So you've been out for awhile then?"

"About eight months." He nodded reluctantly totally caught off guard when Patrick smacked him in the back of the head. "Ouch. What the hell was that for?"

Patrick rolled his eyes at the question. Obviously prison had made his brother stupid. It was the only reason he could think of for Matt hiding from his family for so long, "You've been out for eight moths and you haven't bothered to let anyone know."

"I'm sorry. I know I should have called or something."

"Damn right."

"But it wasn't that easy. Prison..." Matt paused to take a deep breath. Even now he hated talking about the four months he'd been locked up. They changed him in so many ways. "it wasn't a good place Patrick. When I got out it took months to adjust. I'm just starting to feel like myself again."

He frowned at the thought of what Matt had to go through. That why him being back in Port Charles was so important. "I'm sorry you had to go through that."

"Me too."

"So when are you moving in?"

"Patrick I can't. You have enough to deal with. The last thing you need is your little brother crashing on the couch." Matt protested although he secretly liked the idea. Truth was he'd missed Patrick and Emma while away. Moving on for a short time didn't sound so bad. Not that he'd ever admit it to his brother.

"I think what be both need tight now is all the family we can get."

"Fine I'll stay but just for a little while."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Elizabeth was thrilled to be back at the gallery. It hadn't been easy to leave her boys but they all needed the normalcy of a routine. "Thanks for letting me have yesterday off."

"I'm not that horrible a boss. Well not to my favorite niece." Ava laughed when she shot her a knowing look. Honestly her Aunt was probably scarier than her dad at times. Which was quite a feat considering Julian's real business.

"I'm your only niece Ava."

"And I can't tell you how happy I am about that. So how are you really? And don't you dare say fine."

Elizabeth hated that she couldn't hide from her aunt. Ava and her dad could always see through her fake smiles. At the same time it let her know that they really cared. And to be honest she could use someone to talk to about everything. If nothing else Ava usually gave pretty good advice. "To be honest overwhelmed. Every time turn around some big secret is being dropped on me."

"You've been through a lot. My brother has terrible timing."

"That's for sure. However none of the craziness matters."

"Really? Why is that?" Ava asked trying not to smile. It had been horrible keeping such an important secret from her niece. She was glad that Julian had finally said something.

"Because Jake is alive. I swear Aunt Ava when dad told me I nearly passed out."

"I'm so happy for you sweetie. Losing a child... you never really get over it."

"You really don't," Elizabeth agreed quietly. She still thought about the two babies she lost all the time. She probably always would. It wasn't the sort of thing you ever forgot about. "I know I should be mad at Julian. I mean he kept this huge secret from me and let me suffer..."

"But you're not mad I take it," Her aunt said shaking her head. They both knew how charming Julian could be when he set his mind to it.

"Not even a little. How crazy is that? All I can think of is he saved my little boy. Nothing else compares to having Jake home."

"Not even Jason Morgan?" she asked laughing when she saw Elizabeth's shock. That secret was one Ava wished her brother had kept. "I heard he was alive too. Julian's apparently started a side business rescuing people."

"Ugh. I'm not sure how I feel about Jason being alive. On the one hand it's great. Losing him was difficult but at the same time we weren't in a good place. Having him back brings back all those emotions. The good and bad," Elizabeth admitted honestly. She was so mixed up about how even felt about Jason at the moment. They were barley speaking when he 'died'. Having him show up outta nowhere had thrown her for a big loop. "With everything else going on Jake's return, everyone learning I'm a Jerome, Matt showing up out of nowhere its just too much to deal with all at once."

"Well I don't blame you for wanting to focus on Jake. He and Cam should come first."


	7. Chapter Seven

AN:

I'm gonna be honest I think this is one of my favorite chapters so far. Lots of good stuff going on. I hope you enjoy. R&R

~Kelly~

* * *

 **Chapter Seven**

Carly pulled Jason into yet another tight hug before sitting on the couch. She still couldn't get over the fact that Jason was alive. Not only alive but standing in Sonny's living room like nothing happened. "I can't believe you're actually alive. There are no words for how much I've missed you."

"I missed you too Carly," he said taking a seat. Carly immediately grabbed on to his arm.

"It's really good to see you Jason. Any idea who rescued you?"

"Not yet," Jason said shaking his head. He still didn't know anything about his rescuer. His old friend wouldn't tell him a thing. "Francis won't tell me a thing. I was hoping you had some idea."

"You sure the Quartermaines didn't have something to do with it?" Sonny asked carefully. You never knew how Jason might react when the Quartermaines were involved.

"Monica didn't anyways. She was totally shocked to see me."

"It seems suspicious that this new boss of Francis' would rescue you and not ask for anything in return."

"What about Sam's dad? I mean he'd want to keep Jason alive right?" Carly asked interrupting the two men. Even she found it strange that all this was happening at the same time Julian Jerome showed up. There had to be some sort of connection.

"Sam's dad?" Jason frowned. Sam hadn't mentioned finding her father. Not that talked that much beyond Danny. So much had changed in the last year. It was almost hard to take it all in. "She didn't mention anything about a dad to me."

"Apparently Julian Jerome is her father. Before you ask yes those Jeromes."

"This isn't good."

Sonny scoffed at the understatement. This was one of the worst things that could have happened. They didn't have the resources if Jerome decided to attack. Not that he was about to admit that fact to Jason. "Believe me I know. A war with the Jeromes is the last thing we need."

"No you don't understand. When I woke up Jake was there with me. What kind of twisted bastard steals a child?"

Oh not this wasn't good. With Jake dead it cut any ties Jason had with that nobody. Carly wasn't about to let Elizabeth Webber worm her way back into their lives. Jason was happily married to Sam now and it was going to stay that way. "Jake is alive? Does Sam know?"

"I don't think so. We stayed up talking about Danny. I can't believe she's had to deal with that all alone." It had been horrible to learn how sick Danny was.

"Well you're here now. Maybe things can start to go back to normal."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Ms. McCall.. I mean Mrs. Morgan is here to see you." Ashley buzzed in over the intercom.

Julian wanted to refuse to see the woman. He didn't have time to deal with Sam's antics. You'd have thought she'd get the hint he wasn't interested in a relationship. Oh well some people had to do things the hard way. "Send her in Ashley."

"I know you're busy but thank you for seeing me," Sam said doing her best to look nervous. Although most of it wasn't an act. The Jeromes' reputation were almost worst than the Zaccharas. She'd have to be careful not to slip up around Julian.

"Yes well... I heard about Jason being alive. I suppose congratulations are in order."

"It really is the best news. I know how much he wanted Danny so having him here now I can't tell you how much it means to me."

He nodded in agreement. While Danny hadn't factored in his decision to bring back Jason he did care about the young boy. A child being sick wasn't something to be happy about. Even if he disliked the parents, "Having a support system is important."

"I'm glad you think so," Sam smiles to herself. This may be even easier than she expected. "With Danny being stuck at General Hospital he could really use all the family he can get. I know we don't really know each other but I'm hoping we could change that. Starting with you getting to know Danny."

"Well family is very important to me as you saw outside of Kelly's."

"For me too."

So that's how she was going to spin this. Apparently Sam hadn't done her research on the rest of his family. Or maybe she had and was too stupid to care. Either way Julian didn't have time for her games. "But to be honest I'm not interested in getting to know your son."

"That's just..." Sam paused needing a moment to gather her thoughts. The lat thing she wanted to do was screw this up. "he's an innocent little boy Julian and your grandson. If family is so important you should want to be apart of his life."

Julian chuckled at the outrage in the younger woman's voice. It almost made him wish his father was alive. "We both know you're not my daughter Sam."

"How can you say that? If you don't want to be apart of our lives just say so. There's no need to be cruel."

"The fake outrage might work on Alexis but I'm not that gullible. I'm sorry your son isn't well but I refuse to be apart of your games."

Sam narrowed her eyes at the statement. She couldn't decided if Julian really knew the truth or was simply bluffing. Either way this wasn't good for her plans. At least he hadn't threatened to tell Alexis yet. Maybe there was a way to fix this. Starting with that liar Elizabeth Webber. There was no way she was a Jerome. She was too weak and helpless to be part of a crime family. "Unlike Elizabeth? She's the one lying to you not me."

"Leave Elizabeth out of this," he warned coldly. So far Julian had ignored the con woman's past with Elizabeth. However any new mistakes wouldn't be over looked as easily.

"Or what? I'm not scared of you."

"Then you haven't done your homework," he said bluntly. It was something that honestly surprised him. Maybe because Alexis had been such an easy mark. Another thing that concerned him. How could she not see the truth? Eventually Julian was going to have to talk to his child's mother. Probably sooner rather than later. "I suggest you focus on your son and husband before I decide to make your lies front page news."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Jason took a deep breath as he saw Elizabeth come down the steps. The docks had seemed like a natural place to meet. "Thanks for meeting me. I know you've got a lot going on," he said as she joined him on the bench.

"Well I'm sure returning from the dead hasn't been a picnic."

"Remind me to never die again," he kidded shaking his head. Jason never imaged it would be so complicated to get his life back. Of course Danny being so sick wasn't making things any easier. "How is Jake doing?"

"Pretty well considering. Having Cam around is a big help."

"Good. I'm glad he's adjusting. Since everyone knows his my son... I want to be apart of his life. I know what I said about the danger and about everything else but I was wrong. So very wrong Elizabeth. Jake is my son and I love him."

"I know you do, Jason," Elizabeth said easily. She needed to believe that despite everything that went on Jason loved their son. Otherwise she would just go back to being angry at him again. Something she truthfully didn't have the time for.

"Good because I've been thinking about the past. More specifically us."

'Not this again.' She grimaced to herself. Didn't they have enough to deal with? She didn't want to get sucked back in to this dance the two of them had. You would've thought him marrying Sam would be the end of it. Apparently dying made him have some sort of change of heart. "Jason please don't. You're married to Sam now. The two of you have Danny. There is no us," Elizabeth reminded him as gently as she could. Fighting with Jason never went well for her. Not to mention the fact she hated fighting in general.

"There could be," he told her hopefully. He'd done nothing but think about what might have been between them. He had to know that there was still some kind of hope. "I know ending things between us was mistake. All I can say is that the thought of losing you or the boys... I handled it all wrong."

"I wasn't innocent in that mess either. We both made mistakes and hurt one another," she admitted standing up. Elizabeth needed to put some space between them. Part of her was in shock by the things Jason was saying. Sure at one time she'd been happy to hear them. Thrilled even.

"Yeah I guess we did. I'm sorry for all the pain I caused you. I will do anything to make things right between us."

"What about Sam and Danny?" she pressed suddenly angry at Jason. It was like he wanted to pretend the last few years had never happened. She almost didn't know how to react to that. "They're your family now Jason. With Danny sick I know that Sam needs your support."

"I don't have to be with Sam to support her. I can be there and still work on us."

"This is just too much to deal with right now," she mumbled heading for the steps. Almost instantly Jason was there gently pulling her back to him.

"You're right. It's not fair for me to add this to what you're already dealing with."

"Thank you."

"But that doesn't mean I going to let it go." he said caressing her cheek. "I love you, Elizabeth and I'm going to fight for us."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Elizabeth had been having an incredible morning. That was until Sonny Corinthos walked into the gallery. She should have known he seek her out eventually. It just never occurred to her that Sonny would be so stupid as to corner her at work.

"Nice place you have here," he said gesturing towards one of the paintings. Most of the art work leaned in the more modern direction. Certainly not her taste but Ava had an eyes for what people wanted.

"Yes well my Aunt Ava is really good at her job."

"Funny how you never mentioned her before."

"I'm not sure why you would care. It's not like we're friends or anything." she pointed out with a shrug. Elizabeth knew that the only reason he even cared was because she hadn't told him. She knew the older man would have found some way to use the information. Which was the main motivation in keeping it a secret. Plus there was the small detail of not trusting Sonny with her life.

"Maybe but we're certainly are connected. At the very least I thought you'd have some loyalty. If not to me than to Jason."

She rolled here eyes at the statement. Elizabeth couldn't even pretend to be surprised. "I should have known you'd come here screaming about my supposed betrayal."

"You of all people know how I feel about it."

"But only if it's you being betrayed right?" she asked arching an eyebrow. It was obvious from the look Sonny shot her she'd hit a nerve.

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Of course not. Then you'd have to admit that you made a mistake and we all know the great Sonny Corinthos doesn't make mistakes." she scoffed at the man. No one could be that self-absorbed. It simply wasn't possible. Of course knowing Sonny it probably was. "You want to know why I didn't tell you about Julian?"

"That's why I made the trip down here," he said almost casually.

"Because I'm only loyal to the people that deserve it. As you've often pointed out I'm nothing to you. So why should I risk my life to make yours easier."

Sonny didn't like her answer. It reminded him of all the reasons he kept her out of Jason's life. Reasons that she'd proved correct by lying about who she was. A big mistake on her part. "I think you forgot who you're dealing with Elizabeth."

"I'm going to assume that isn't a threat towards my daughter. Because if it was... I'd hate for us to have a misunderstanding," Julian warned stepping out of the shadows. It had been difficult for him to stand by and listen to their conversation. However he had to know how far Corinthos was willing to take it. Clearly the man was going to be more trouble than he first suspected.

"Jerome I didn't expect to see you here."

Julian chuckled at the statement. It was funny how quickly the other man backed down. Maybe Sonny Corinthos wasn't as tough as he wanted people to think. It was good information to have. "No doubt the very reason you pick this place to ambush Elizabeth."

"We were just talking."

"I'm only going to warn you one time Corinthos. Stay away from my family."

"You don't tell me what to do. I'm the boss around here."

"That's easily corrected." Julian reminded him calmly taking a steps towards the other man. He wasn't going to allow anyone to hurt his daughter ever again.

"I don't think I should be hearing this."

"Of course not. Why don't you get your things and I'll take you to lunch. I meant it Corinthos you had better stay away from Elizabeth and her boys. This is the only warning you're going to get."


	8. Chapter Eight

AN:

Thanks for all the reviews. They really mean a lot to me.

~Kelly~

* * *

 **Chapter Eight**

Kate toyed with her napkin nervously as her date ordered the wine. Part of her thought Julian had been joking when he asked her out. Apparently she'd been wrong. It was almost surreal to be on a date with someone who wasn't Sonny. Even if this wasn't supposed to be a real date. "I almost didn't expect you to call."

"Any reason why that is?" he asked genuinely curious. Kate was a beautiful and interesting woman. He'd be a fool to at least not to call her.

"Sonny isn't someone you want as an enemy."

"Is that a friendly warning?"

"Concern for you," she corrected quickly. Despite the rumors about Julian she knew him to be a mostly decent guy. At least with people he liked anyways, "My ex is impulsive and a long list of other not good qualities. I wouldn't want you hurt because of me."

"How sweet Kate. The trouble is Sonny and I are destined to be enemies. Especially after he threatened Elizabeth." Julian admitted honestly. He'd already had plans when it came to the other mob boss. However when Sonny threaten his daughter well his demise was going to be even more painful.

"I can't believe... wait of course I can. Everything revolves around the great Sonny Corinthos. Let me guess he was going on about how she betrayed him."

"That sums it up."

Kate huffed and rolled her eyes. This was exactly why she had to get rid of Sonny. She couldn't deal with his stupid games anymore, "Unbelievable. Now I'm extra happy you called me."

"Enough talk about your ex," he said dismissing the other man. Julian wasn't about to spend the evening focused on Sonny Corinthos. "I'd much rather get to know my beautiful date better."

"You can be very charming when you put you mind to it. Has anyone ever told you that?" Kate asked letting out a soft laugh. Truthfully she was flattered by the attention from Julian. And really how wouldn't be? The man had a way of making u feel like u were the only person in the room. A skill he put to use often no doubt.

"My daughter has several times. She says that's where Cam gets it from."

"He is an adorable little boy."

Julian smiled at the mention of his oldest grandson. He couldn't believe how big both boys had gotten. Maybe he could convince Elizabeth to let him take them for an afternoon. "I'd have to agree not that I'm biased."

"Of course not," Kate laughed as the waiter approached the table. Maybe this whole date with Julian wasn't such a bad idea after all.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sam frowned as she looked through the glass. Her son was finally resting peacefully. A fact she credited her husband with. Jason had this amazing way with children. She just knew he was going to be the most amazing father, "I hate this Jason. He looks so helpless in that bed."

"Try not to focus on the bad stuff. Danny is going to get better I just know it," he said running a hand down her arm. Sam leaned back in to him and tried to relax.

"Promise?"

"I promise. He's a strong kid just like his mother."

"You really think so?" she asked slightly happy when her voice broke a little. With Julian knowing about her con she needed Jason now more than ever. He was the only one who could protect her from the mobster. She just had to make sure that Elizabeth Webber didn't ruin everything yet again.

"I know so."

"I've missed you so much. Jason?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you think that Elizabeth would let us test Jake?" she asked in almost a whisper. While Sam hated using Danny he was the best way to come between Jason and Elizabeth. "I mean since him and Danny are brothers."

"I don't see why not."

"Because she still hates me."

Jason immediately shook his head at the idea. They had all gotten over the past. None of them was perfect. Elizabeth of all people understood that, "That's ridiculous. We've all put the past behind us."

"You don't know her the way I do. She'll probably say no just to be spiteful," Sam spat letting some of her true emotions show. She hated the other woman that Jason couldn't totally forget. To make matters worse Jake was back from the dead. At least this time the little brat could be of some use to her.

"Don't worry Sam I'll talk to Elizabeth. I'm sure I can get her to see reason."

"I hope so because I can't lose out little boy."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Alexis stormed into Sonny's living room slamming the door behind her. "You need to get control of Kate before I ruin her."

"Is something wrong Alexis?" he asked barley looking up from the reports. Typically this sort of thing was Jason's job. However with Danny being sick he was trying to be supportive.

"Wrong? What could be wrong?"

He shook his head at Alexis' antics. This was a good reminder of why they couldn't ever work out. The woman was simply too high strung for him. "I'm not sure but you seem agitated. More that usual."

"Let me tell you why I'm so agitated, as you put it," Alexis grumbled pacing the floor. She really should've brought a paper bag. She could already feel a panic attack coming on.

"Go on. You have my undivided attention."

"I doubt that. Kate is currently at Chez Valtel having dinner with Julian Jerome."

"That isn't funny Alexis." Sonny said all traces of humor gone. He couldn't believe Kate would go this far to drive him away. It was almost sad really.

"I didn't think so either. She's going to ruin my plans."

Sonny chuckled at his ex. He seriously doubted the other man was that desperate. Especially if he was already dating Kate. "Don't tell me you want Jerome back?"

"That is none of your business Sonny."

"Well if you're here asking me for favors it becomes my business. Besides I thought you and Kate were friends," he pointed out smiling when Alexis cringed. And people thought Carly was self absorbed?

"That was before."

"You know that Jerome is my enemy right?"

Alexis couldn't help but roll her eyes at the question. Really the man was just too much most of the time. Too bad she hadn't thought about that before sleeping with him. "Please Sonny everyone is your enemy. It's a wonder you even consider Jason a friend."

"This isn't making me want to help you."

"I swear you're impossible," she yelled spinning on her heel and leaving the room.

"Damn it Jerome I'm not going to let you steal anything from me. Including Kate."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sometimes Patrick had a hard time believing his best friend was a girl. But Elizabeth Webber was one of the best friends he'd ever had. Losing Robin and then Matt only made them even closer. "I almost can't accept that Jake is alive. It feels like something out of the Twilight Zone," he said watching the kids run around e' backyard. Emma had insisted on coming over nearly everyday since Jake's return.

"For me too. I keep pinching myself to make sure I'm not dreaming."

"I'm so happy for you Elizabeth even if you did abandon me."

Elizabeth took one look at his pout and immediately rolled her eyes. "Please half the nurses are at your beck and call Dr. Drake," she scoffed making them both laugh. Truth was Patrick didn't flirt nearly as much as he'd used to. The whole situation with Brit and Sabrina had put him off women for awhile. At least he wasn't going to be stuck with Brit.

"True but none of them are you. I miss having you in my OR."

"Honestly I miss it too," she admitted easily. Not working at the hospital was weird but in a good way. The gallery gave her more time to spend with the boys. "Although with how crazy things have been I'm glad I'm not at General Hospital any more."

"Matt said he stopped by to see you."

"Yeah. I came home and there he was sitting on my porch. That was a really weird day."

Patrick laughed at the image her words made. He could almost see Matt doing something like that. "Weird covers it. It's good that he isn't in that hell hole anymore."

"Yeah. It really did a number on him though. Can you believe he thought I wouldn't let him be around the boys?"

"I hope you set him straight," he said not totally surprised. His brother tried the same thing with him. Patrick hated that he felt that way. Matt was the only family he had. Of course he wanted the younger man in his life.

"You bet I did. However I manged not to hit him in the process. Care you explain?"

"Eight months Elizabeth," Patrick answered almost angrily. For months his brother had been alone. Well not completely alone if Matt's new career was anything to go by. "I couldn't believe he didn't let us know anything."

"Okay you have a point. No more hitting right?"

"Fine. I won't hit him anymore."

"Good. I swear the two of you are worse than Cam and Jake," Elizabeth muttered turning her attention to the three children in the yard.

"Funny."

"I think so."


	9. Chapter Nine

AN:

I apologize for the delay. Let me just say 2nd degree burns suck. And also I love Julian so much in this chapter.

~Kelly~

* * *

 **Chapter Nine**

Julian loved working late after the offices had emptied out. For the most part in meant he was left alone. Of course it appeared tonight would be exception to the rule.

"We need to talk," Alexis said bursting into his office. Julian barely contained the urge to throw her out. Honestly it was probably better they get this fight over with. It was times like this he knew exactly where Elizabeth got her stubbornness from.

"Of course we do. How can I help you Alexis?"

"I saw you with Kate," she began trying to sound calm. However she immediately blew the facade with her next question. "What are you thinking?"

"That she's a beautiful and interesting woman."

"You do know she and Sonny..."

"Used to go out? Yes she told me all about it," he chuckled at Alexis' attempt to be helpful. He wasn't worried about Sonny Corthinos. After all he and Kate just pretending. Not that the other mobster was any match for him. Something he was about to find out.

"Are you trying to piss Sonny off?"

"Kate is a free woman."

"I doubt..." Laexis paused and let out a long sigh. She'd never seen Sonny as possessive as he was over Kate. Even the hold he kept on Carly didn't compare. "no I know Sonny doesn't see it that way. He wants her back Julian. So if your chasing after her to spite him... look you just might want to think about this."

"If I didn't know better I'd say you sounded jealous Alexis."

Alexis was surprised by his blunt assessment. She thought she'd be able to hind that small fact. However it was clear that Julian was as preceptive as ever. Maybe even more so. "What? Jealous of Kate? Don't be absurd."

"Really? I'm the one being absurd?"

"Well to be honest seeing you brought back all these feelings."

"And you were hoping I was interested too," he said shaking his head. There had been a time Julian might have been tempted. However any feelings he had for Alexis died with her treatment of their daughter.

"It's not so crazy to think you might want to explore what we had."

"Maybe but I just don't feel that way about you."

Alexis frowned at his honesty. She hadn't expected Julian to just turn her down. The rejection stung quite a bit. "Sam was right you are cold," she snapped back. Sam had been right about her father. Julian was nothing like the boy she'd met. She couldn't imagine what his life was like but there was no reason to be cruel to family. Maybe he and Sonny did have things in common after all.

"I can only imagine what Sam told you. She wasn't happy after we talked."

"That's putting it mildly. How could you be so cold to your own child? Especially when she has Danny to worry about."

Julian couldn't deny part of her accusation. The trouble was he didn't really give a damn about Sam McCall. Or at least he wouldn't if she'd stay out of his way. Something he didn't have a lot of hope in. "I'm sure having a sick child isn't easy."

"It isn't and the last thing OUR daughter needs is to have you shutting her out."

"Alexis you are so oblivious," he said shaking his head. How did the smart girl he met turn into this blind woman? Elizabeth had been right in front of her for years. "It makes me question you're ability to practice law."

"I'll have you know I'm a great lawyer."

"If you say so. Now if you don't mind I really do have work to finish." Julian said dismissing her from the office. If Alexis stayed they'd only continue to fight. He had too much work to do for that sort of non sense.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Matt couldn't help but notice how quite Elizabeth was. Especially since she was almost never quite. Not even in the operating room. It made him wonder what was bothering her. Not that Elizabeth would come out and admit anything was wrong. "Are you okay?"

"I feel like you ask me that a lot."

"Well things have been crazy lately," he shrugged at her non answer. Elizabeth was great at avoiding a question. Even better than him. Matt would be impressed if he wasn't also worried.

"So true. But shouldn't I be asking you how you're doing not the other way around?"

"I'm good really" he promised easily. It was nice. Being back in Port Charles wasn't as hard as he'd expected. "Living with Patrick and Emma is weird but I'm enjoying it."

"Good. You should be around people who care about you."

"I guess you're right."

"Naturally," Elizabeth agreed with a laugh. It was good to have Matt back in her life. He had this way of making her laugh that no one else had. This was one of the few times she was glad Julian was who he was.

"Where you planning on avoiding my question forever?"

"I was planning on trying."

"You know you can tell me anything right?" Matt asked softly. He hoped Elizabeth already knew that. Although knowing how stubborn she was he sincerely doubted it.

"I hate Sam. I mean I really truly hate her."

"Okay... I wasn't expecting that. Wanna tell me what brought this on?"

"Did Julian tell you about what she did to my boys?"

"The kidnapping and the gunman?" he asked after a moment. It was one of the reasons Julian almost didn't help Jason. As far as Matt was concerned the other man deserved to suffer. "Yeah he told me. I don't get why you didn't press charges."

"Because I'm an idiot." she mumbled burying her face in her hands.

"I find that hard to believe."

"I keep trusting the wrong people." Matt didn't really have an argument for that. Because of Noah he had a hard time trusting anyone.

"That's tough to go through."

"Yeah I just wish I knew how to stop. Jason called earlier today. It seems he wants Jake to get tested for Danny."

Matt had to shake his head at the other man. It seems Jason hadn't learned much from his 'death'. "Wow that's kinda gutsy. He could have at least asked in person."

"He was probably worried I was going to slap him again."

"So what did you say?"

"That I had to think about it," Elizabeth admitted reluctantly. She had been too shocked by the request to do much else. "What I wanted to say was no. Helping Sam is not on my to do list. Ever."

"I can understand that. What she did to you was terrible. You shouldn't have to forgive her."

She smiled at the simple statement. It was nice to know that her feelings weren't totally crazy. Despite what some people believed. "I think you're the first person besides my dad to say that to me."

"That's because it's true."

"But... Danny is an innocent little boy. He shouldn't have to suffer because of his parents," Elizabeth said quietly ending with a long sigh. The whole situation sucked. Especially since there were kids involved.

"It sounds like you already made up your mind."

"Yeah I guess so. Thanks for letting me vent Matt."

"Any time," he said wrapping an arm around her. It was nice to feel like he was helping someone.

"No seriously I shouldn't keep dumping on you like this. I mean you just got back into town."

"Elizabeth, it's fine. You can always lean on me."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sonny almost couldn't believe that Jason was alive. It hadn't been easy but he'd finally figured out how to run thing without his partner around. In fact Sonny found that he preferred it that way. Having Jason back was only going to complicate his plans. At least the younger man was distracted by Danny for now. That kid getting sick was continually working in his favor. "How's it feel to be back from the dead?"

"Stressful. So much has changed plus Danny's sick..." Jason trailed off and took a deep breath. He hadn't expected any of this when he woke up. Seeing his son suffer was the worst of it. Especially since Elizabeth hadn't called him back yet. He didn't want to believe that Sam was right but he had started to wonder, "its more to deal with than I expected."

"Watching your child go through something like that.. I wouldn't wish it on anyone." Sonny said sincerely. It hadn't been easy to watch Kristina suffer when she'd been sick either. "How's Sam handling it?"

"She'd being so strong which I guess isn't surprising." Jason answered easily. Seeing how Sam was handling the situation reminded him of why they got back together.

"I always knew she was a great match for you."

"Yeah well I've been thinking..."

"Don't tell me your thinking of going back to Elizabeth?" Sonny asked cutting is friend of. They always seemed to be having this conversation. When was Jason going to see that Elizabeth was nothing but trouble?

"Maybe. I don't know, Sonny. I hate the way things between us ended."

"I get that really I do. But we both know things between the two of you never end well."

"Its complicated," the younger man agreed. Not that Elizabeth was making things any easier. She was still barely talking to him. At least she was letting him spend time with Jake. Getting to know his son was the best thing to come out of this nightmare. "especially with Jake and Danny."

"How is Jake? He doing okay?"

"Yeah. He's a resilient kid."

"Thankfully most of them are." Sonny said thinking about all his own kids had gone through. Thankfully they were mostly well adjusted despite all the drama they grew up with.

"What about you? How are things with Kate?"

"That woman is driving me insane."

Jason groaned the the statement. He had no idea what Sonny saw in the other woman. He almost wished his friend would go back to Carly at this point. At least the two of them made some kind of sense. "What stupid thing has she done now?"

"Apparently she's decided to date Julian Jerome."

"Wow. That's just screwed up."

"That's an understatement," the older man scoffed. "How can she betray me like that? You know he's probably just using her to get information on us."

"Does Kate know anything?" Jason asked suddenly worried about all he'd missed in the last year. How much damage could Kate do to their business?

"Nothing important but Jerome doesn't know that. He's family is one of the worst I've ever dealt with. Maybe even worse than the Zacharas."

"Do we know why he suddenly showed up in Port Charles after all this time?"

"My guess is Jerome wants his father's territory back."

The younger man shook his head. Julian Jerome had to know he wasn't going to win a war with them. Many people had already tried and failed. "That's crazy Sonny. He can't possibly have the men to take us on."

"I'm guessing that's why he's going after Kate. Trying to find a weakness."

"Looks like a picked the perfect time to return from the dead."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Some days Matt had decided it didn't pay to get out of bed. Today had been one of those days. He was starting to regret going back to Nikolas' clinic. Even part time. Matt still felt off centered. Of course the nightmares didn't help him at all. "Can I quit?" he muttered sinking on to the sofa. Julian had called a meeting for some reason. Knowing his boss Matt could only image what it was going to be about.

"Rough day?" Frances asked with a chuckle.

"I really hate this town."

"Join the club Doc."

He glared at Frances before shaking his head. Maybe he could just disappear again. On second though Elizabeth and Patrick would probably kill him if he even thought about it. "And that terrible nickname. I should poison Julian for ever coming up with it."

"Isn't killing me a bit drastic?" the man is question scoffed from the doorway. It was good to see Matt warming up. Julian worried that prison might have broken the younger man permanently. To be honest it was probably a near thing.

"Nothing was said about killing you. I was thinking maybe a nice long coma." he said in his own defense. After all th least one had worked out pretty well. At least until Jason woke up. The man was a serious pain in his ass. Why couldn't he just leave Elizabeth alone? She had been though more than enough without Jason Morgan jerking her around.

"I"m sure Elizabeth wouldn't be upset at all with that."

Well there was that. Damn Julian. He knew almost all his weaknesses. Letting out a sign Matt said, "Okay well maybe I won't poison you after all."

"Wait," Frances interrupted with a frown. He felt like he'd missed something between the two men. And the it dawned on him. "You like Elizabeth? I mean like like her?"

"Of course not."

"How did you not know this?" Julian asked shaking his head. Poor Matt looked like he wanted to be anywhere else. He probably shouldn't enjoy teasing the young man so much. And he wouldn't normally but Matt made it so easy.

"Hell if I know. For the record I think its kinda sweet."

"If I liked Elizabeth that way I'd appreciate the thought. Maybe but since I don't..."

Julian laughed cutting him off. Turning to his second he asked, "Are you buying this Francis?"

"Not even a little bit. You?"

"No," Julian said letting out a laugh. It was hard to believe that Matt had survived months of prison when he couldn't even lie about something so simple. "First off Matt you're a terrible liar. Stop trying it's an embarrassment to the organization."

"Thanks a lot Boss." he grumbled leaning his head back and closing his eyes. It was almost like being in seventh grade again.

"Second we all know you have deep feelings for my daughter."

"I didn't know." Frances countered clearly unhappy about being kept in the dark.

"So now we all know..."

"Okay so I was interested in Elizabeth before," Matt admitted briefly thinking about the kisses they shared. Who knows what might have happened if he hadn't killed Lisa? Still none of that mattered now. They were just friends. He was too broken up for anything else. "but I put all that aside."

"Sure you did. Emotions don't work like that Matt and you know it. My only question is what are you going to do about it?"

Matt was speechless for several moments. He never expected Julian to encourage him. At least not when it came to Elizabeth. Everyone knew how protective the mob boss was of his family. "You want me to chase after Elizabeth?"

"Want might be a strong word," Julian admitted with a chuckle. He still saw Elizabeth at a little girl. The idea of her dating still made him nervous. "It's more I'd prefer almost anyone over that idiot Jason Morgan."

"Thanks for the self esteem boot."

"You're a good guy Matt. I like you really and if being with you would make Elizabeth happy then I support you."


	10. Chapter Ten

AN:

Thanks for all the well wishes. My arm is mostly healed just very itchy in places.

~Kelly~

* * *

 **Chapter Ten**

Jason smiled as he sat down beside Elizabeth. The bench on the docks was sort of like their spot. They'd spent hours just talking. Her wanting to meet here gave him hope. "Thank you for having Jake tested. It meant a lot to me and Sam."

"Yeah well I did it for Danny."

"Sam was right you do hate her."

Elizabeth shot him an are you kidding me look. How could so many people be so stupid? Sam could have gotten both her both killed. That wasn't the sort of thing most people got over. Ever. "Of course I hate her."

"Where is this coming from?" he asked clearly surprised by the news. "We all forgave Sam years ago." 

"You forgave her Jason. I didn't have a choice but to go along with it."

"Why didn't you say something?" Jason asked wondering when she became so unforgiving. This wasn't like her at at all. Maybe it was Julian Jerome's influence.

"I shouldn't of had to. You promised me that Sam wouldn't be a threat anymore."

"And she isn't."

Elizabeth couldn't help but laugh at the statement. In her opinion the only reason Sam wasn't a threat was he marriage to the man in front of her. She really tried not to hate Jason for going back to the other woman. And most days she succeed. However on days like today she really resented him. Something else Jason probably didn't know. "Funny at the time I didn't think it meant you'd marry her."

"You're not totally innocent either, Elizabeth. You lied about Danny's test results."

"I did," she admitted easily. That time had been so confusing for her. Elizabeth wasn't proud of what she'd done. Unlike so many other people in this town she'd taken responsibility for what she'd done. "For about six hours and I felt horrible the entire time."

"Sam regrets what she did."

"Does she? I wouldn't know. She's never apologized to me."

Jason didn't know what to say. He couldn't get over the fact Sam was right about all this. He felt blindside by Elizabeth's reaction. This was long behind all of them. Stillhating Sam over a mistake was foolish. "I can't believe you're still this upset."

"Well I can't believe your surprised. I don't want to fight with you Jason," she said letting out a long sigh. What she really wanted was to be done with Sam Mccall. "With everything else going on I just don't have the energy."

"Aright I get that."

"Thank you."

"But we are going to figure this out. I love Elizabeth and I know we can make it work."

"Jason..." Elizabeth started only to be cut off by him,

"I know. I promised to give you some space and I'm going to."

"Thank you."

"I the mean time I want you to think about this," Jason said quickly lowering his head to kiss her. Elizabeth gasped is surprise as he deepened the kiss. After several moments he pulled away. "I know you felt that."

"What was that?" she demanded to know. Jason kissing her was one of the last things she expected. They weren't together anymore. Hell he was still married to Sam. What possessed Jason to think this was a good idea?

"A kiss. "

"But why Jason?"

"To remind how good things are between us." he said simply. It seemed Elizabeth never reacted the way he expected lately. Ever since his return she'd been reluctant to talk about them. Jason hoped kissing her would spark something between them.

"You promised... I can't deal with this right now. I've gotta go."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Ava loved her brother really she did. However the man had absolutely no personal life. He practically did nothing but work. At least before coming to Port Charles. Now he spent time with Elizabeth and the boys. Something she throughly approved of. It also appeared Julian was dating again. Dating Kate Howard of all people. She couldn't resist teasing her brother about this development. "I heard you went out on a date."

"Not you too. I can't take anymore nonsense this week."

"That might be difficult to accomplish in this town. Who else is giving you a hard time?"

"The mother of my only child," Julian scoffed shoving his paperwork aside. The fight between them was ridiculous. How could the woman not realize Elizabeth was their child?

"I wondered how long it would take her to stop by."

"Sam apparently told her some sob story about how cold I am."

Ava was tempted to laugh at the assessment. She loved her bother but he wasn't the warmest of people. Family was the only exception. "Well it's not like you lied."

"I supposed not. I swear Alexis is so dense she can't see the truth right in front of her. It's a miracle that Elizabeth was turned out so well."

"Of course she turned out amazing. Elizabeth is a Jerome. And for the record I happen to like the idea of you and Kate Howard," Ava said approvingly. It was about time her brother got himself some sort of life. If only Elizabeth would cooperate as well. Her niece certainly deserved to be happy. "I was concerned you'd be interested in your ex."

Julian immediately scoffed at the idea. The woman had long killed any feelings he had with the treatment of their daughter. "Not in this life time. As for Kate we're only pretending to go out. She's trying to get rid of Sonny."

"Right. You keep telling yourself that," she laughed clearly not believing him. "Just make sure I'm invited to the wedding."

"You're impossible I swear."

"Right back at you."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kate almost couldn't believe her eyes. Sonny was waiting for her just outside her office. Sitting there like he owned the place. Except this was Sonny Corinthos. The man didn't know to take no for an answer. "Sonny this isn't a good time I have work to do."

"I understand you're a busy woman."

"Thank you. Why aren't you leaving?" she asked when he followed her into the office. Really the man had no shame.

"I understand that you're busy but we need to talk."

This just apparently wasn't her day. "Fine. Go ahead and talk."

"Don't be that way Kate. You know that I love you."

Kate scoffed at the statement. At this point she wasn't sure Sonny knew the real meaning of love. The man was too busy doing whatever made him feel good. He rarely stopped to think about others, "I know you love yourself."

"Is this about Olivia still?" he asked unable to think of another reason Kate was acting so oddly. Sonny thought she was making a bigger deal of the situation than needed to be. Honestly there was times she was worse than Carly with her drama.

"She's my cousin Sonny of course it's still about her."

"Is that why to started seeing Julian? As some sort of pay back?"

Kate stared at him for several moments. She was actually speechless. Of course she shouldn't have been surprised that Sonny was making it all about him. It was something the mob boss always did. The exact opposite of Julian. A fact she appreciated more every day. "I can't believe you're doing this."

"What? I have ever right to be concerned when someone I love be..."

"Don't you dare say it. I'm not the one who betrayed you. If anything you've betrayed me over and over again."

"I'm sorry I got a little heated." he said trying to backpedal. Sonny hadn't realized just how angry she was about the Olivia situation. "Just the idea of you with that prick Jerome. I don't want you hurt."

"Well then we finally agree on something. If that's all..."

"You're kicking me out?" Sonny balked at the idea. He wasn't used to this side of Kate. Maybe leaving was the best move. Fighting like this wasn't going to solve anything.

"Yes I am. I have nothing more to say to you."

"Fine but this isn't over."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sam slammed the front door. "How dare he try and go back to that bitch? After everything I've done for him? Who does he think he is?"

Really she shouldn't have been surprised. Jason always had a weakness for Elizabeth. He always wanted to rescue the other woman. Damn it. Why couldn't she have died back at the cabin liked planned?


	11. Chapter Eleven

**Chapter Eleven**

Carly couldn't stop hugging Jason. She was just so excited to have him back. Since his death everything in her life had felt off. Leading him to the sofa she said, "I still can't believe your alive. I was lost without you know. Really I was Jason. You're never allowed to die again."

"I'll do my best," he chuckled sitting on the huge sofa.

"I suppose that'll have to do. How are you doing?"

At the question Jason let out a long sigh. He knew Carly meant well but he was starting to hate that question. Lately he felt like he was being pulled in a hundred directions. With Danny being sick at the tip of the list. "Okay. It's not easy watching Danny. He's just a little boy... but I know he's going to get better."

"Of course he will. Then you and Sam can be a family just like you always wanted." she said patting his hand. Carly fully understood how he felt. Having a sick child was a nightmare. Seeing the look on his face she immediately frowned. "What? No Jason I know that look."

"What look?"

"The one you get when your hung up on Elizabeth Webber. Tell me your not thinking about going back to that Twit."

"I care about her Carly," he answered carefully. Jason knew that his best friend would never understand the relationship he had with Elizabeth. Which was fine he wasn't asking Carly to. All he wanted was her to support his choices.

"So? That doesn't mean you have to be with her. She's not good enough for you. No she isn't," she insisted when he tried to protest. "Jason listen to me you belong with Sam. She's perfect for you. I know you have this... attraction to Elizabeth but she'll never fit into you life. You know how she hates what you do. Just promise me you'll think about it before you do something you'll regret okay?"

Jason knew she wasn't going to let this go easily. Agreeing with Carly was probably the only way to stop her ranting. "Fine Carly I promise to think about what you said."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Julian tried to be a good father. Even if he didn't always succeed. Especially when it came to giving his little girl advice. It was difficult for him to see the capable woman Elizabeth had grown into. "Do you want to talk about it, Peanut?" he asked using the nickname Steven Webber gave her years ago. When she shrugged in response he frowned. "I know I'm your dad but you can talk to me about anything."

"I'm just stressed. Jason and I had this weird argument."

"Weird how?" he asked trying to keep his tone neutral. Of course Jason Morgan was twisting her into knots. It seemed to be the only thing the man knew how to do. It didn't help that Julian wasn't much better at times. His poor girl. She really needed someone who could put her first.

"It was about Sam. He just assumed..." Elizabeth paused for a moment. She knew thats eh was partly to blame for the situation. For too long she didn't stand up for herself. First with Lucky and then with Sam. That was something that had to change. She didn't trust the other woman no matter what Jason said. "well everyone probably assumed I'd forgiven her for what she did."

"He's not worth it I promise you."

"I keep telling myself that. He's had so many chances and all he did was push me away. Using that stupid danger speech. We can never get it right. But part of me... it's so stupid Dad. Part of me wants it to work out," she finished almost helplessly. Things between her and Jason had always been so complicated. And now there were children involved. Maybe it was time to accept they were never going to work out. Even if the idea broker her heart a little.

"If you want it to work out so badly what's the problem?"

"I don't know if I can trust what he says. We've been down this road so many times before. Things are going pretty well and then one of us does something so stupid. And one of us, usually me, ends up with their heartbroken. I just can't go through that again."

"Then don't," he said only surprising Elizabeth a little. She knew her dad wasn't a big fan of Jason's. "There's no rule saying you have to be with Jason."

"You're only saying that because you hate Jason."

"What I hate is the fact my little girl isn't happy. Now I'm willing to accept some of that blame but Jason has hurt you repeatedly. You can't expect me to be happy about that." Julian insisted gently making her sigh. She hated that she couldn't really argue his point. Of all the times for her dad to be right.

"You're doing that protective thing again."

Julian laughed at the exasperation on her face. Poor kid he should probably take it easy on her. "Yeah well get used to it because I don't plan on going anywhere."

"I'm so glad you're here have I told you that? Even if you're relationship advice sucks."

"There's a guy out there who will make you happy, Elizabeth. Maybe it's Jason. Maybe it's not. Just be patient. There's no rush."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Julian frowned at the persistent knocking on the door. Almost no one bothered him at home without calling first. Opening the door his frown deepened, "Mr. Morgan. How nice to see you." he said not meaning it in the least. Everyday he regretted saving Jason more and more.

"Don't play mind games with me Jerome. You and I need to talk." he said pushing his way into the living room. The display of toughness amused Julian a great deal. Apparently Jason still had no idea who he was dealing with. It was going to be fun to watch him and Sonny go down.

"Honestly I expected you days ago."

"Sorry to disappoint you."

The older man shrugged casually. When didn't actually matter. The fact Jason waited only confirmed his opinion of the younger man, "I understand that coming back from the dead is a complex matter."

"Why did you save me?"

"Straight to the point" Julian nodded in appreciation. "For several reasons. The only one that you need to know is the fact that you mean something to my daughter. She's the most important person in my life. So I guess I saved you to make her happy."

"Is this mysterious daughter why your in Port Charles?"

Julian laughed at the younger man's confusion. He was almost tempted not to tell Jason anything. How the man didn't already know was beyond him. "Elizabeth," he said enjoying the confusion on Jason's face morph into disbelief.

"Eliz... how is that possible?" he immediately demanded to know. There was no way Julian Jerome was Elizabeth's father. She would have told him years ago.

"That I believe is none of your business. If we're through here..."

Jason interrupted. They were no where near done. He wanted answers from the other man. "Are you here to get your father's territory back?"

"You're very blunt, Jason. I like that."

"But your not going to tell me anything."

"Would you tell me if roles were reversed?" he asked answer Jason's question with one of his own.

"Does Elizabeth know that you're telling lies about her?"

Julian's eyes went cold at the accusation. No one was going to hurt his family again. Including Jason Morgan. "I think we're done here."

"She doesn't does she?" Jason asked trying to get the older man to lose his temper. He could see that his words had effected Julian. It didn't make sense for the man to lie about something so profound. There had to be a reason for the lie. Whatever the reason was he was going to found out.

"What makes you think I'm lying, Jason?"

"Because if you were her father she would have told me. Elizabeth and I share everything."

"I am well aware you're history with my daughter," Julian told the enforcer easily. He knew a lot about Jason. Of course Elizabeth wasn't his only source on the subject. He loved his daughter but she was a little blind when it came to Jason. Hopefully that was coming to an end. "You see she and I are quite close."

"I don't think I believe you. If you knew Elizabeth even a little bit you'd know she hates secrets."

"Why don't you go ask her? Since you're so sure I'm lying."

Jason blinked stunned at the statement. Now he knew Julian was up to something. The man had practically dared him to involve Elizabeth. What was his endgame? "Is this some kind of game?"

"I don't play games. Now get out of my apartment before I show you out."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Francis put down the listening equipment and shook his head. He almost couldn't believe Sam McCall was this stupid. Almost. After all trying to con Julian Jerome was pretty stupid. Most people would have cut their losses at the mention of his name.

Not only had she tried to continue the con but she got Alexis in on the act too. He had to wonder what happened to the smart attorney he once knew. Maybe Sonny had done a worse number on her than they thought. There had to be a reason she'd accept a known con artist's word.

From the moment he read Sam's file he knew she was going to be trouble. The woman didn't know when to quit. If so she's have left Port Charles years ago. Francis didn't particularly care what Sam did. If Alexis wanted to be a fool there was nothing he could do about it. Elizabeth however was a different story.

Julian Jerome had been a great boss over the years. It was nice to work for someone who didn't lose control on a regular basis. Not only that but Julian respected the people who worked for him. He didn't mind listening to his employees' idea. Even if he didn't always agree Julian was usually willing to hear you out.

Not that Julian didn't have a temper. The man could put Sonny to shame with his blow ups. Which is why Francis wasn't looking forward to calling his boss. Family was the one thing Julian put above everything else. Just knowing that Sam was plotting something was going to send him in to orbit. Maybe he could get Matt to rethink that poison.


	12. Chapter Twelve

AN:

So a lot happens in this chapter. Poor Elizabeth. Maybe moving is an option. ;)

~Kelly~

* * *

 **Chapter Twelve**

Matt loved spending time with Elizabeth's boys. Between them and Emma he was starting to let go of the last year. The kids didn't really care what he'd done. They, Cam especially, just cared that he was back.

He was currently playing a round or several of video games with the boys while Elizabeth worked. Matt knew she didn't want to leave them with just anyone. So he'd offered to hang out just the guys.

"Matt can we have pizza?" Cam asked pouting slightly. Matt knew he was a bit if a sucker when it came to the kids. Trouble was Cam knew that too.

"Didn't your mom leave us stuff for lunch?"

"But I'd rather have pizza," the young boy replied honestly. His mom had probably left vegetables. Yuck!

"Pizza," Jake agreed from his place on Matt's lap. The look on their faces made him laugh.

"You two are going to get me in so much trouble."

"Yay! We're having pizza." Cam said bouncing on the couch. The celebration was interrupted by someone knocking on the door.

"I thought your mom said no girls."

"Ewww. Girls are gross."

"Yucky."

"I'll remind you guys of that in a few years," he kidded moving Jake to the sofa. "Stay put while I get that."

When he opened the door Matt was shocked by who it was. He didn't expect Jason Morgan to crash his babysitting. "Yes?"

"I need to speak to Elizabeth." he said trying to push his way in. Matt had no trouble blocking the doorway. He wouldn't have left Jason in even if Elizabeth had been home. He never liked the other man even less after working the last year for Julian. When he couldn't get past it was actually amusing to see Jason's reaction. "This is important."

"I'm sure you think so but Elizabeth isn't here."

Jason's eyes narrowed at the statement. He had no idea that Matt Hunter was even back in town. Elizabeth didn't want Sam around the boys but a convicted killer was okay? They were going to have to discuss this and soon. "She left you here with the boys? What was she thinking?"

"That she needed a sitter."

"I can't believe she trust you after what you did."

Matt couldn't believe the audacity of the other man. Even if he had the same thought racing in his head. "And this is where I tell you to leave."

"You're telling me to leave?"

"Yeah I am. My past is none of your business. However unlike you I regret what I did. Not only that but I paid for it. I sincerely doubt you can say the same thing."

"Look here..."

"No you look, Jason. I'm not intimidated by you," he told the mobster bluntly. Facing the local enforcer was a cake walk compared to the time he spent in prison. He still had nightmares about some of the things he saw. "Honestly I never was but after being in prison... I gotta tell you I'm not impressed. Now get off Elizabeth's porch." Shutting the door Matt let out a sigh. Jason Morgan was a pain in the ass. Maybe Julian would get rid of him and make everyone's life easier. "Okay who wants pizza?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Julian frowned as he listened to the tape. He had warned Sam about hurting his family. Seems the woman hadn't taken him seriously. No surprise considering several people had failed to keep the same threat. However he wasn't Sonny Corinthos or Jason Morgan. There was nothing Julian took more seriously then the safety Elizabeth and his grandsons. A fact that Sam McCall was about to learn. "She can't be this stupid. Can she?" he asked Francis almost not wanting to believe what he'd just heard.

"Apparently she is. So how do you want to handle this?"

"You meaning killing her isn't an option?"

"Oh it's always an option but I was assuming you wanted Sam to suffer first." Francis pointed out his voice full of amusement. The man really did have a twisted sense of humor at time. It didn't help that the man had wanted to be rid of Sam for years now.

"I knew there was a reason I hired you."

"Funny. Do you wanna tell Elizabeth?"

Julian immediately shook his head at the question. "That's the last thing I want. She's already got so much on her plate."

"Well you can't do nothing."

"Of course not," " he scoffed. Doing nothing was what created this whole situation. "Call a couple of the guys and set up a schedule."

"A schedule? You mean for guards?" Francis questioned stunned that his boss was even considering it. Elizabeth had refused guards for years. She hated the idea of being watched.

"What else would I mean?"

"Can I be there when you tell Elizabeth?"

"I know she isn't going to be happy about this," he started only to be interrupted by Francis.

"Happy? Julian she's going to be furious. You know how she feels about guards."

"Well she doesn't have to know," he shrugged unapologetically. This was one of those things Elizabeth was better of not knowing about. It was something he should have done soon to be honest. "The guards can do their job without being seen."

"Oh man she's going to kill you."

"But at least she and the boys will be safe."

Which to be honest was the most important thing to both men. Knowing that if Elizabeth ever found out she would eventually forgive them. "That is a good point."

"So you'll set it up?"

"Consider it done," Francis promised reaching for his phone. He knew exactly who to call for this assignment.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Jason had been surprised to learn Elizabeth was working at the new art museum. He remembered how much she loved being a nurse. It made some sort of sense however given her past. "When did you start working here?" he asked as she showed the space.

"Not that long ago. I just needed a break from the stress of the hospital."

"You've been through a lot recently. I can see why a break might be good."

"Not to be rude, Jason, but what you are doing here?" she asked as they came to a stop. Elizabeth was happy that they were near the back of the gallery. If they were going to argue she didn't want an audience.

"I went by your house. I was surprised when Matt Hunter answered the door."

"Yeah we were all shocked when he showed up."

"And you thought it was a good idea to let a convicted murder watch the boys?" he asked trying not to lose his temper. The whole thing bothered him more than he wanted to admit. Sam had made mistakes but she worked hard to put them in her past. Something Elizabeth refused to even acknowledge. However Matt Hunter was immediately forgiven. None of it made sense to him.

"The boys love Matt and he's great with them. What's the problem?"

"He murdered someone Elizabeth. How you you be okay with letting the boys around him?"

"What Matt did... it was wrong but he was protecting the people he cares about. Like you do for Sonny." Elizabeth pointed out bluntly. Everyone including her was glad to see Lisa gone. She hated that had to suffer for that.

"That's different."

"I'm not going to fight with you over this Jason," she said letting out a heavy sigh. Of course the things he did for Sonny was different. She had heard that particular song and dance before. And to be honest she didn't have the patience to deal with it. "I thought you agreed to give me some time to figure everything.

"I know I did. It's just... something's come up that I think you should know about."

"Is everything alright with Danny?"

"He's about the same. There's not much to do until we get a bone marrow match," he said reluctantly allowing the subject change. Fighting with Elizabeth wouldn't solve anything. Knowing her it would probably make everything worse. Which was the last thing he needed with Julian Jerome in town.

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"Thanks but that isn't why I'm here."

Of course it wasn't. Why couldn't Jason for once just say what he wanted? "Okkkkay. Why are you here?"

"Look I'm not sure what you've heard but this guy Julian Jerome is in town."

So that's what had Jason so worked up. He'd finally heard about her connection to Julian. With as many people who knew she was surprised it had taken this long. "Didn't the Jerome family run Port Charles years ago?" she asked trying to gauge Jason's reaction. Elizabeth wasn't totally sure why her father was in Port Charles but she did know you didn't want him as an enemy.

"Yeah this guy's probably back in town trying..." he trailed off and shook his head. "you don't care about that. Here's the deal. This guy Julian he's saying that he's your father."

"I'm not sure what you want me to say here Jason."

Her lack of a reaction shocked Jason. It wasn't what he expected at all. "Aren't you angry he's spreading these huge lies about you?"

"Not really," she shrugged off the question. Seeing his confusion she continued. "I mean I guess if Julian was lying I'd be pretty upset."

"He... he was telling me the truth? How is that possible?" Jason immediately demanded to know. He couldn't believe that she would keep something so huge from him. Especially given who Julian Jerome was.

"It just is. I've always know Julian was my dad. We're pretty close."

"He said that. I just don't get why you never told anyone about this?"

"Anyone or you?" Elizabeth asked a light blub going on in her head. She may still care about Jason but she wasn't blind to his faults. One of which was his need to rescue people. "Ahh I get it now. You were thinking that you were going to be able to swoop in and save me from big bad Julian Jerome is that it?"

"He's a dangerous man."

She was tempted to laugh at the idea. Jason had no idea how true that statement was, "Maybe. Probably. He's my dad Jason I don't care about any of that."

"Even if he's here to start a war?"

"Well as you've repeatedly told me your life is dangerous," Elizabeth said without any emotion. She had heard that excuse not only from Jason but her dad as well. The phrase didn't hold any meaning at this point.

"This isn't some joke. I don't want you in the middle of this mess if it gets bad."

"Look around Jason. My Aunt Ava owns this place. I'm already in the middle."

That was something he hadn't thought of. It was clear he wasn't going to be able to force Julian Jerome out of her life. The idea didn't sit well with him. Especially since he was going to have to find a way to explain this to Sonny. The man wanted the Jeromes gone. There was no way things weren't going to get ugly. "I'm just worried about you and the boys."

"You keep saying that."

"Because it's true. I love you Elizabeth. Can we maybe... spend some time together? I miss Jake and you."

"I'm sure Jake would like that," she replied purposely leaving herself out of the equation. She still wasn't ready to trust her heart to Jason.

"I guess I'll take it for now."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

After Jason left Ava had closed the gallery up and poured them a a drink. It was a good way to unwind after a stressful day. "I'd be happy to put a hit out on Jason for you."

"That's not funny Aunt Ava."

"Whose kidding?" the woman said completely serious. She hadn't wanted Julian to save the man in the first place. Telling her brother 'I told you so.' would be sweet. "That idiot has broken your heart over and over again. It's a miracle your father hasn't had him killed already."

"You have to admire his restraint," Elizabeth pointed out with a soft chuckle.

"I think its because he feels so guilty about pushing you away. It's hard to hate Jason for doing the same thing."

"You know Jason thought dad was lying? I didn't even know how to react."

The news didn't surprise Ava. Jason was surrounded by liars looking out for themselves. "Do you think Jason will figure out the truth?"

"I doubt it. He's too busy bouncing back and forth between me and Sam," she said with a frown. That behavior was one of the many reasons she couldn't quiet let herself trust Jason.

"Like I said he's an idiot."

"Ava..."

"Elizabeth... no listen anyone who tosses you away is a moron. And I'm not just saying that because your my niece." the woman said vehemently. Elizabeth was an amazing woman and it was a shame the men in her life didn't see it.

"Thanks Ava. You know dad pretty much said the same thing."

"Well occasionally he has moments of wisdom."

Elizabeth laughed at the statement. Her dad and aunt had a crazy sibling rivalry. It made for some funny family moments. Including some involving her Aunt Ava's love life. "At least he stopped hating your boyfriend."

"This week anyways," she scoffed loudly. Julian was going to drive her crazy with his overprotectivenesss. "I swear the two of them are like children."

"Speaking of children I'm going to go relieve Matt before mine convince him they need a dog."


	13. Chapter Thirteen

AN:

This chapter was so fun to write. The Ava scene especially. It's a good little transition into the next few chapters. Which I'm excited about.

~Kelly~

* * *

 **Chapter Thirteen**

Alexis was having a terrible day no week. To be fair nothing had gone right since Danny had gotten sick. She hated watching him and Sam suffer. Too bad Julian didn't seem to care. The man was beyond cold. Going so far as to ignore both Sam and Danny.

"What are you doing here?"

"It's nice to see you too, Alexis," Kate said trying to be civil. She knew meeting Diane here was a bad idea. However her friend had insisted. Very few people could tell Diane Miller no and mean it. Sadly Kate wasn't one of them.

"I'm sure it is but that doesn't answer my question."

"Kate is here to have lunch with me," Diane said coming out of her office. Secretly she had hoped the two woman wouldn't run into each other. The last thing she wanted was to deal with petty issues between her friends.

"Are you kidding me do you know what's she's done to me?"

"I told you Alexis was going to behave this way."

"Yes well I'd hoped she was more mature than Sonny."

Alexis couldn't believe what she was hearing. "I am nothing like Sonny," she snapped while glaring at both women. Her ex was a egomaniac who thought the world revolved around him. The fact she was upset by Kate and Julian didn't make her like Sonny.

"Then why are you so upset? You should be happy I'm seeing someone who is good to me."

"As much as I hate to admit it Kate has a point," Diane pointed out gently. Personally she was thrilled for her friend. Anyone had to be better than Sonny Corinthos. The man was still sleeping with Kate's cousin for heavens sake. Julian Jerome must look like a great catch in comparison.

"Of course you'd take her side."

"I suddenly feel like I'm back in junior high."

"Me too," Diane sighed turning to her friend, "Kate would you be a dear and wait for me downstairs?"

"Of course."

"I can't believe you invited her here!" Alexis snapped the moment Kate left. She was so angry that Diane had chosen to support the other woman. The whole situation felt like it was spiraling out of control.

"This is my office too in case you forgot."

"I'm sorry, Diane." Alexis sighed trying to defuse the situation. The other woman wasn't going to back down. She didn't want to lose another friend over Julian Jerome. "This whole Julian and Kate thing just took me by surprise."

"That's understandable. The last few weeks have been surprising. Anyone would be having a tough time."

"I knew you would understand."

Diane nodded at the statement. She truly did understand and even sympathize with Alexis. However that's as far as she was willing to go. Something her partner needed to realize. "But I'm not going to mad at Kate for being happy. Even if it that person is your ex," Diane warned on her way out the door. She was looking forward to lunch now more than ever.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Thanks," Jason said as Sonny handed him a beer. After his fight with Elizabeth he'd went out for a ride before ultimately ending up at his best friend's house. He knew the other an would at least be wiling to listen to him. Something that couldn't be said for Carly. "I can't believe Julian Jerome is her father. How could she not tell me?"

"I'm sorry you had to find out from Julian. I thought for sure Elizabeth would have told you when you returned Jake," he said trying to sound sympathetic. Truthfully this worked out perfectly. Jerome had manged to do what no one else had in all these years. Cause Jason to distrust Elizabeth. At least the man would be good for something before his death.

"She never said a word. I can't believe Elizabeth tried to keep this from me."

"You know how she is, Jason. This isn't the first thing huge secret she's kept from you."

"Sonny don't..."

The mob boss almost immediately interrupted him. He wasn't going to let Jason talk himself into forgiving Elizabeth this time. She had been a thorn in his side for too long. And now that Jake was alive Sonny might never be rid of her. Sam's plan was looking better and better all the time. "Look I know you care about Elizabeth. Believe me I get it but you know I'm right."

"Yeah maybe."

"Maybe? This is why I worry when you're with her Jason. Elizabeth has this way of getting you so twisted that you can't see the truth."

"It's just a lot to take in," Jason said trying to process everything. So much had happened since he'd woken up from his coma. Part of him wanted to take his bike and head out of town. Danny and Jake meant that wasn't a possibility any longer.

"Fine I've said my piece and now I'm going to back off."

"I appreciate that."

"Have you talked to Elizabeth about all this?" Sonny asked remembering his confrontation with young woman. He still couldn't believe she would talk to him like that. She was defiantly more brave with her father around. Just another sign that she wasn't right for Jason.

"Not really. I did get her to agree to us spending time together."

"That's good I'm happy for you. Don't look at me like that Jason. I may not like Elizabeth but if that's who you wanna be with... just be careful."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Today had been crazy at the gallery. Of course it was always hectic right before a show. Ava was just happy that it went smoothly all things considered. "Honey I'm home," she called out before collapsing on the sofa. She may love her boyfriend but getting out of her heels took priority.

"Perfect timing dinner is almost ready."

"Did I ever tell you how happy I am you can cook?" she asked as Francis joined her on the sofa. Ava hadn't been looking for love when she meet her brother's second in command. Maybe that's why she feel so hard. At least Julian had finally accepted the relationship.

"Only about a dozen times," he chuckled giving his girlfriend a quick kiss. Francis could tell she was more stressed than usual. It made him wonder what happened at work. "How was the gallery?"

"I spent most of the day arranging an art show."

"Sounds exciting."

Ava scoffed at the statement laying her head on his shoulder. To be fair it had gone better than she expected. Maybe Julian could convince his daughter to start painting again. "Well it would be if that niece of mine would include a piece in the show. She's so stubborn."

"I can't image where Elizabeth get that from."

"Hush I'm not that bad."

"If you say so," he disagreed easily earning him a smack to the chest. Francis loved this playful side of Ava. Especially since so few people ever got to see it.

"Men. Did you know Julian is dating Kate Howard?"

"Nice change of subject. And no I hadn't hear anything about it. We try not to discuss that part of our lives. It keeps Julian from hating me too much." Francis admitted to his girlfriend. Honestly he thought it was a brilliant idea. It not like he wanted Julian having the details of their relationship anyways. Of course that's what he got for dating the boss's sister.

"I swear the two of you are impossible."

"But you love us anyways."

"I suppose so," she huffed before heading into the kitchen. Now that she was relaxed Ava realized she had missed lunch. And whatever Francis smelled amazing as usual.

"Wait. Isn't Kate one of Sonny's exs?"

"Yes and apparently the two of them are just pretending to date."

Francis immediately burst out laughing at the news. There was no way Julian was really pretending. Although he had to admit it was a good cover. It was going to be fun seeing Kate being the downfall of his friend, "Oh man he's so screwed. Man this is just like poor Matt."

"Matt? Matt Hunter? He likes someone? Oh man this is the best news. Who is the girl?"

"Unh uh Ava I'm not telling you."

Ava didn't want to accept what she was hearing. Francis almost never told her no. neither did Julian for that matter. She was horribly spoiled. Which made her reaction totally her boyfriend and brother's fault, "But I'm your girlfriend. You have to tell me everything."

"Not this. First of all Matt would die of embarrassment."

"And second," she demanded not waiting to admit Francis had a point. The poor kid was barely holding himself together most days. What he needed was nice girl to help him heal. Anyone other than Maxie Jones. She was all wrong for Matt.

"You'd probably tell the girl trying to help."

"Well after the hell Matt went through he deserves to be happy."

"I couldn't agree more. That's why you need to let me and Julian handle it."

Ava groaned at the news. How could they think this was a good idea? Maybe she could quiz Elizabeth. She knew the two were friends. Her niece had to have some idea who the poor girl was. Maybe together they could help Matt. "My brother is in on this too? What am I saying of course he is? Neither of you are qualified to help Matt."

"Is that so?"

"Of course not your men." Ava teased causing Francis to pull her back on to his lap.

"I'll show you not qualified."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Elizabeth was rushing from Kelly's when she spotted Sam. Suppressing a groan she tried to ignore the other woman. The last thing she wanted was another fight with Sam. A sentiment the other clearly didn't share. "Well look how it is Little Miss Mob Princess," Sam said blocking the way.

"I have nothing to say to you Sam," she said trying to get away. Elizabeth would have been happy to never speak to the other woman again. Unfortunately with Jason alive that would never be an option.

"Good because I have plenty to say to you."

"What now?"

"Stay away from Jason," Sam warned getting in her face. There was no way she was going to let Elizabeth ruin her life a second time. No matter what it took. "He chose me not you. And I won't let your lies come between us."

"My lies? I think you've gotten us confused."

"I'm not the one who's confused but your games won't work this time. I'm not going to let you turn Jason against me like you did Julian." she said still shocked by Julian Jerome's behavior. There was no way he knew she was lying about being his daughter. The man had probably been told lies for years by Elizabeth. Another reason the woman had to go.

"If you think Julian Jerome listens to anyone, least of all me, you're mistaken."

"Just stay away from Jason. He's my husband and I won't let you steal him from me again," she warned one last time before stomping off.


	14. Chapter Fourteen

AN:

I am beyond sorry about the long wait. My life has been crazier than a soap opera. Hopefully things have settled enough that I can focus on something other than doctor's appointments.

~Kelly~

* * *

 **Chapter Fourteen**

Even after a couple a weeks Patrick couldn't believe his brother was home. He'd expected to Matt to be locked away for the next several years. Him being home still surreal. The job at the clinic reassured Patrick that his brother wasn't going to bolt at the first chance.

"So how does it feel to be back working?"

"I'm not sure the clinic really counts," the younger man laughed. Truthfully the clinic was slow on a good day. However it was exactly what Matt needed.

"You could have told Nikolas no when he called."

"Probably. It's not like he can do much from Paris."

"So why didn't you?"

"Because I still love being a doctor. I'm not sure I can ever operate again but I guess this is a start."

There was something in Matt's voice that worried him. Patrick had suspected that something happened during the time he was in prison. Something that went beyond being locked up. Unfortunately his brother had the Drake habit of burying things. "You know you can talk to me about anything right Matt?" he pressed he gently. Patrick knew his brother wouldn't talk to him but it didn't stop him from trying.

Matt nodded at the question. He knew Patrick meant well but somethings were better left unsaid. "Did I ever thank you for letting me stay here?"

"Very smooth change of subject," he laughed letting it go for now. Maybe Elizabeth had an idea what was going on in his brother's head. "And yes you have."

"Good," the younger man said letting out a sigh. He was relieved that Patrick wasn't pressing him on the subject. They could both be so stubborn and the last thing Matt wanted was to fight with his brother. "Although I should probably look for my own place soon."

"Why? Emma and I both like having you here. There's plenty of room. What's the rush?"

"I guess there isn't any."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Spending time with Jake was becoming one of Jason's favorite things. It made him regret all the time he'd missed even more. His son was such an interesting combination of him and Elizabeth. Speaking of his son's mother he really hoped she was home too. He was serious about rebuilding their relationship. All he has to do now was get Elizabeth to believe him.

When Francis opened the front door Jason frowned. This wasn't how he'd planned the day to go. It hurt that Elizabeth was still avoiding him after their fight the other day. How was he supposed to fix things if she wouldn't talk to him? "Where's Elizabeth?" he asked trying to keep his tone neural. He wasn't going to give Francis or Julian Jerome the satisfaction of knowing how frustrated he was. Hell half of this was probably Jerome's fault. How knew what the man was telling Elizabeth?

"Out. Something about lunch with her father."

The casualness of the comment hit Jason. It was clear that Francis knew all about Elizabeth's mysterious father. "You knew about Jerome being her dad didn't you?"

"Is that a question or an accusation?"

"Damn, Francis. Why didn't you say something? I thought we were friends." he said this time not caring if the other man knew how he felt. It stung that two people he trusted never mentioned something so important.

"I'm sure you of all people understand somethings have to be kept secret in this business. Kinda like Jake?"

"That's different. I was only trying to protect Elizabeth and the boys."

"It's exactly the same," Francis shot back angrily. He was furious with both men for their actions. At least Julian understood he'd made a mistake. Jason on the other hand was couldn't see past Elizabeth was a Jerome. "And I'll tell you what I told Julian."

"What's that?"

"Elizabeth and the boys deserve better than to be someone's dirty little secret."

"That's not how it was."

"Bullshit," the older man countered. He didn't buy it for one second. Especially since Jason had married Sam. Maybe he should give his friend the benefit of the doubt but Elizabeth was family. That made it difficult to see anyone's side but hers.

"Look Elizabeth agreed..."

"Jake is upstairs in his room."

Jason frowned at the abrupt interruption. If it wasn't for Jake he would have left. "So what you're saying is this conversation is over."

"I always knew you were smart."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Matt actually like living with his niece and brother. Despite his protests. Being around family was helping his put the last two years behind him. Killing Lisa would always be his biggest regret but it didn't haunt him the way it had. The only real down side was one he'd managed to avoid until just now. "Hello Maxie," he said letting his ex wife in to the house. He no longer cared for the woman and actually regretted marrying her. Just being around her reminded Matt what a fool he'd been.

Maxie was speechless as she sat down on the sofa. The last person she expected to see was her ex husband. Dressed in jeans and a button up shirt he looked like he'd never left. "Matt... when... when did you get out?"

"Awhile ago but I've only been in Port Charles a couple weeks," he admitted reluctantly. He just didn't have any energy for Maxie's drama. It was one of the many subtle things prison had changed about his personality.

"You didn't come home right away?" Maxie frowned at the admission. What a selfish thing to do. What was wrong with him? Didn't Matt know that his family needed him? "What about the people who care about you?"

"Well my new boss had a few jobs for me. And I wasn't really in a hurry to come home. Actually Julian is the reason I'm here now. The man insisted."

Maxie immediately recognized the name. The crime family infamous in Port Charles. Even if they weren't the man was Sam's father. Of course she knew who he was. "Julian Jerome? How did you end up working for a mob boss?"

"I'm sorry how is what I do any of your business?" he asked enjoying the shock on Maxie's face. His ex wasn't use to people standing up to her. Him included.

"Of course its my business. I care about you. We were married."

"Which is one of the biggest regrets of my life."

"How can you say that?"

He let out a long sigh. Matt wasn't trying to hurt his ex but she didn't make it easy. Which seemed to be the story of his life. "Because it's true Maxie. We had no business being together."

"That's not true."

"You didn't love me Maxie. Hell I'm not sure you even love yourself."

"How dare you..."

"And I certainly didn't love you. That's why I signed the divorce papers." he finished easily. Truthfully by the time the papers came he didn't care about much. Signing them was the easiest thing he'd ever done.

"I can't believe you're saying these things. It's like I don't even know you."

"Maybe you don't. I'm not sure you ever really did."

"I'm not going to stand here and listen to this non sense." she said heading for the door. There had to be a way to save Matt. "Tell Patrick I'll see Emma later."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kate wasn't sure how she ended up outside Julian's office. It seemed almost natural to end up here. Especially after her disagreement with Alexis. She wondered if he had any idea that his ex still wanted him? Not that Kate could fault the other woman for her good taste. Julian Jerome as one of the most attractive men she'd been with in a long time. "Do you have a few minutes?" she asked leaning casually against the door frame.

"For my favorite date? Of course," Julian smiled pushing aside the papers he'd been working on. Nothing too important just something to pass the time until Elizabeth showed up for their lunch date.

"Flatterer."

"Always. Is everything alright? Sonny still giving you problems?"

"Not since the last time," she denied crossing the room and sitting on the desk. At this point Kate almost wished it was her ex giving her grief. At least Sonny's actions made sense. "I just wish he would get the hint."

"That doesn't seem likely."

"Tell me about it. And now I have to deal with Alexis' drama too. She's upset we're dating. I swear she's acting worse than Sonny."

Julian was tempted to roll his eyes at the news. Maybe he should try talking to Alexis again. Although he doubted pointing out the full truth would calm anything down, "I'm sorry about causing so much trouble. We can put a stop to all this if you want."

"No. Absolutely not. I like going out with you."

"I feel the same way," he said sitting beside her on the desk. Julian was starting to appreciate how amazing the woman beside him truly was. He was starting to regret the fact it had taken him so long.

"Good. And I'm not going to let anyone dictate my life, Julian."

"That's very admirable."

"So what are your plans for this afternoon?" Kate asked as they relaxed on the desk. She tried not to notice how they're hands brushed against each other. Julian was doing her a favor nothing more.

"I finally convinced my daughter to have lunch with me," he admitted happily. Julian was thrilled to spend time with his child. Especially since lunch had been Elizabeth's idea. Even if she had alterer motives. "Actually I think she accepted to avoid seeing Jason."

"Oh I didn't mean to interrupt."

"It's fine Kate really. I like having you around."

"We're not really pretending anymore are we?"

He smiled at the question. It was something Julian had wondered himself. Wrapping a arm around Kate he pulled her closer. "Honestly I don't think I was ever pretending."

"Me either," Kate said leaning in to kiss him. The kiss lasted for several moments. Pulling apart she immediately smiled against his lips. "Why did we wait to do that?"

"I have no idea but we should do it again." he said pressing his lips against hers. After a few moments of kissing a soft voice interrupted them.

"Does this mean Kate is going to be my new mommy?"


	15. Chapter Fifteen

AN:

This chapter took me longer than I had hoped. I just wasn't happy with the first scene forever. Once that worked itself out the rest of the chapter went smoothly. I hope you enjoy.

~Kelly~

* * *

 **Chapter Fifteen**

"Does this mean Kate is going to be my new mommy?" Elizabeth asked while trying not to laugh. The look on her dad's face was priceless. It served him right for avoiding her all this time.

"We just started seeing one another so no," her dad chuckled while shaking his head. Clearly Ava was a bad influence. Maybe Elizabeth would like to work at the publishing company instead. Far away from his meddling sister.

"So soon then?"

Kate immediately hid her face in her hands, "Do I get a say in any of this?"

"Possibly," Julian said managing to answer both their questions at once. He hadn't given much thought to marriage but being with Kate wouldn't be a hardship. It was certainly something to consider.

"But I like her better than Alexis," Elizabeth pouted causing her father to laugh. He couldn't blame her for the feeling. Alexis used the fact Sam was supposedly her daughter to make Elizabeth's life difficult. Julian almost couldn't wait for the truth to come out. His ex had several shocks in store for her when it did.

"This is very awkward."

He whispered pressing a kiss to her forehead, "I'm sorry about Elizabeth catching us."

"At least she's not upset."

"There is that," she agreed relaxing at the knowledge. If anything Julian's daughter was too happy at the sight of catching them together. Although she did like it better than the usual reaction.

"Is Kate joining us for lunch?" Elizabeth asked suddenly changing the subject.

"I wouldn't want to interrupt."

"But I don't mind."

Julian laughed at her insistence. He knew it was about more than wanting to know more about his relationship with Kate. Truth was Elizabeth was trying to avoid talking about Jason Morgan. Not that he could blame his daughter. The only good thing he could say about the younger man is that so far he'd kept his word about seeing Jake. "You just don't want to talk about Jason."

"There is that," she laughed in agreement before turning toward the other woman. Elizabeth didn't know much about Kate Howard. Mostly due to her involvement with Sonny. Something that was apparently no longer an issue given what she walked in on. If Kate made her dad happy she wanted to support their relationship. "How about it Kate? You'll be saving me from a lecture."

"Well if you're certain I'm not intruding."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"How is Danny?" Sonny asked as Sam settled in a chair. The meeting was a little unexpected with all his ex had to deal with at the moment. However she had called practically begging to meet with him. He'd wracked his brain for a reason and so far only Danny had come to mind. Maybe the boy's illness had brought up bad memories for her.

"The same," she sighed. Sam was getting sick of the question. Too bad Elizabeth's brat wasn't a match. At least now Jason knew the truth about that bitch. Of course it didn't seem to faze him much. "I think Michael is going to get tested. He is Danny's cousin so maybe..."

"Let hope he's a match. I'm sorry I couldn't do more."

"That might not be true."

He knew that tone of voice. Sonny had heard years of it from Carly and Sam. Only one person could make both of them this crazy. "Is this about who I think it is?"

"She has to be stopped Sonny. I'm not going to let that tramp steal my life again."

"I can't blame you. Elizabeth doesn't belong with Jason. No matter what he believes. But I promised him I'd stay out of it."

"He's never going to know Sonny," she pleaded softly. Jason returning was a miracle. One she had wished for since his death. However that little brat should have never returned. Jake being alive was ruing her life. In her opinion all three of them needed to go. The sooner he better. Jason's life... all their lives would be better for it. "You know he isn't thinking straight."

"And Jerome? The man is dangerous Sam."

That's why she was counting on Sonny's help. With any luck Julian Jerome would take out her ex leaving Jason as the new mob boss. And her firmly at the top right at his side. "Exactly. He has plenty of enemies that might come after poor unprotected Elizabeth. It's not our fault Elizabeth doesn't have guards."

"That is true," Sonny admitted after giving it some thought. If Jason ever found out he'd be furious. However the Jeromes and that included Elizabeth were the enemy. "If Jerome doesn't care enough to have guards he's just asking for something to happen. I'm just taking advantage of an enemy's weakness."

"I knew you'd see it my way. This is what I was thinking..."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Elizabeth should have protested when her dad suggested the Metro Court. Things in her life had been too quite. Especially given the fact Jason and Jake had come back from the dead. Which is why she shouldn't have been surprised to see Carly. "This should be interesting," she mumbled shaking her head. You'd think at some point the woman would get tired of making public scenes.

Kate laughed at the comment, "She can only do so much damage in public."

"Yeah but this is Carly we're talking about."

"Good point," the older woman frowned as she recalled several scenes Carly had caused. Generally for no good reason.

"What are you doing in my hotel?" Carly demanded to know of the two woman. She has shocked to see Kate Howard with that nobody Elizabeth Webber. How did the two even know each other? Probably through Julian Jerome. If Sonny found out about this he was going to go ballistic. Damn Jeromes they were practically trying to goad her ex into a war.

"Having lunch."

"Not anymore. You're not welcome in my hotel anymore."

"Fine by me," Kate responded haughtily. She rarely used the tone of voice these days. After all that person didn't really exist anymore. She only did it because she knew it drove Carly crazy. Which gave her another wicked idea. "Elizabeth dear I wonder if your aunt ever wanted to open a hotel."

"Not that I know of but she does hate Carly."

"You wouldn't." the other woman hissed narrowing her eyes. Just the idea of Kate and Ava teaming up made her blood boil. Dealing with them separately was bad enough. At least Olivia was still on her side.

Kate laughed at the veiled threat. She'd probably get another visit from Sonny warning her to leave poor Carly alone. Breaking up with the man meant she no longer had to be nice to his ex wife. Yet another reason ending things with Sonny Corinthos was a brilliant idea. "How are you going to stop me? Have Sonny or Jason threaten me?"

"Jason won't let you ruin my business."

"Maybe," Elizabeth agreed easily. She of everyone knew how loyal Jason was to the other woman. "but he also probably doesn't want to piss my dad off either. Julian has his faults but he really seems to adore Kate."

"You're dating Julian Jerome?"

"Didn't Alexis telling you? I was certain she'd cried to the whole town by now."

"Sonny will never take you back after this betrayal," she warned before stomping away. Carly couldn't believe how easy it was for the other woman to betray Sonny and with Julian Jerome of all people. She wasn't as shocked by Elizabeth. After all the girl had never shown herself to be loyal to Jason let alone Sonny. The situation just kept getting worse by the minute. It seemed like there was nothing she could do to stop an all out mob war.

"That was exciting," Kate muttered smoothing her hair. Glancing over she noticed Elizabeth wasn't all that upset over the scene. Apparently the younger woman was used to Carly. "I think we've earned some shopping."

"Well normally I'd argue but as it happens my dad owes me big time for keeping secrets."

"He told me about that. The nerve of him," the other woman said still slightly surprised by Julian's confession. At least the man seemed remorseful about hurting his daughter and grandsons.

"Exactly what I said. He just so happened to give me a credit card for... well anything I wanted."

"Poor Julian. I almost feel bad for him."

"Me too," Elizabeth giggled knowing she wouldn't actually spend too much. The fact she even used it would shock her dad. "After that we can stop by and talk to my Aunt Ava."

"I'm not sure I was serious about that. Your aunt is intense."

"Don't I know it. But she'll like you." she reassured Kate as they walked out of the Metro Court. "Plus the idea of a grand fancy hotel is something she'd get behind. Trust me Kate."

"Looks like Cam didn't get all your father's charm."


	16. Chapter Sixteen

AN:

I loved writing this chapter. So much goodness before Sam and Sonny's plan. Especially Elizabeth's new project. She should have never had lunch at the MetroCourt. ;) Oh any guesses who Elizabeth guard is?

~Kelly~

* * *

 **Chapter** **Sixteen**

Francis shut the door to his office as the phone rang. He didn't think Ava would out the guards but you never knew with his girlfriend. The last thing he wanted was this getting back to Elizabeth, "How is everything?" he asked the moment the ringing ended.

"You know if you keep calling every night I'm going to start taking it personally."

"I know I'm being a bit over protective but Elizabeth is family."

"Believe me I get that," the guard reassured his friend before growing serious. "Nothing is going to happen to her or the boys on my watch."

"Sam McCall is cagey. There's a reason she survived as a con for as long as she did."

"We're better."

"You're the best," Francis countered immediately. It was the main reason he was on this detail. There was no one else he trusted to protect Elizabeth and the boy other than himself. Which of course Elizabeth would have noticed right away. He still couldn't believe their luck so far.

"Exactly my point."

He sighed at the ridiculousness of the whole situation. Maybe Francis just needed to trust the men he put in charge. "Alright fine I'll try to ease up."

"Uh huh. Sure you will."

"Would you rather it be the boss?"

"He calls in the morning," the other man responded seriously causing Francis to groan out out. Family was everything to their boss. Of course Julian called for updates. Why was he even surprised?

"Why am I not surprised? Okay okay you win I'll stop calling every night."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Elizabeth loved sitting on her back porch after the boys had gone to bed. It was one of the way she decompressed after a long crazy day of dealing with her Aunt Ava. She'd been lost in though for several minutes when she heard a familiar voice say, "I hear you're opening a hotel."

"Shut up Matt," she replied barely opening her eyes as Matt joined her on the porch. The whole afternoon had been insane. Ava had loved the idea of a hotel with Kate. The woman spent hours doing the initial planning. Part of which included her being a full partner.

"So congratulations aren't in order then?"

"You're really enjoying this."

"Just a little." Matt laughed at the glare she was giving him. He'd been given that same look be Julian on several occasions. The problem was Elizabeth didn't scare him the way her dad did., "How did this even happen? I don't remember anything in Ava's plan about a hotel."

"To be honest I'm not sure. Carly and Kate got into it at the MetroCourt and..."

"Just them?" he teased barely reacting when Elizabeth bumped his shoulder with hers.

"Okay fine I joined in too," she admitted after a moment. "Kate threatened to start a hotel with Ava."

"Oh man did Carly's head explode because I can see that setting her off. Knowing your aunt she probably loved the idea."

"Of course. When has ever Ava ever passed up the opportunity to beat a rival?"

"I'm going to guess never."

Elizabeth laughed at the serious answer. Especially since she knew Matt was right. Her aunt had a far reaching concept of revenge, "Exactly. She's even more competitive than my dad."

"That doesn't explain how you ended up a partner."

"Well they decided they only that would make Carly even more crazy was if I was involved."

"That's just messed up. I like it," he said shaking his head. He could just imagine Ava coming up with something like that. Matt still wasn't certain how sane the woman was. Not that he was stupid enough to wonder that idea out loud. If Julian didn't kill him Francis would.

"Don't encourage them Matt."

"Of course not."

"It's been awhile since we talked," she said totally changing the subject. Elizabeth'd had enough of her crazy family for one night. "How are things with you?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sam through her arms around Jason the moment he stepped off the elevator. She knew she was losing him. With each passing day that bitch Elizabeth was one step closer to ruining her life yet again. That's it was important to remind her husband that Danny was sick. Their son needed his father. Any sort of non sense with Jake could wait. "Where were you?" she asked barely holding back tears. It was a ploy she knew worked well on Jason. On most men really. "The doctors have news about Danny and I couldn't find you."

"I thought we talked about this. I was visiting Jake this afternoon."

"How is that more important than Danny?" she asked before she could stop herself. The last year had been a roller coaster of emotions. She didn't understand what was so wrong with expecting her husband to support her during all this.

"Jake is my son too."

"Believe me I know." Sam muttered under her breath. "And I forgave you for all the pain your being with Elizabeth and having Jake caused me. That whole time we were apart should have never happened but Jason you married me not her. We're your family. Me and Danny. We should come first."

"Sam I have enough time to spend with both of the boys. Now what did the doctors say?" Jason asked ignoring her part in the whole matter. He knew when Danny got better they were going to have to really discuss their relationship. Any time he tried now Sam manage to change the subject. It was something she and Carly had in common. "Is it news about a donor?"

Sam wiped her eyes and let the argument slide for now. It didn't really matter anyways. Soon Elizabeth Webber and her two brats would cease to be anyones problem. "Yeah it is. Michael is match. Our little boy is going to be okay."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"I really wanna know." she pressed when Matt seemed happy to ignore her question.

"Considering I'm living with Patrick not bad. Actually that part is going much better than I thought. But don't tell my brother that." he said whispering the last part. Patrick's ego was bad enough without being right about something.

"Your secret is safe with me. I heard about your run in with Maxie. Are you okay?"

"Surprisingly I am. Really Elizabeth. Things with Maxie have been over since... hell maybe even before Lisa's death."

"And yet you agreed to marry her."

Matt grimaced at the statement, "Not one of my prouder moments but saying yes was more for Maxie than me. I already knew I was going to plead guilty."

"Robin's death was hard on everyone," Elizabeth frowned understanding why he had agreed to Maxie's plan. "I wish you had been here to help Patrick through it."

"Believe me I do too," he said not able to keep all the emotion out of his voice. Matt hated that Patrick and Emma had to go through all that without him. He especially hated what he went through.

"You want to talk about it?"

"That is the last thing I want."

"It might help especially with the nightmares." Elizabeth pressed gently. She strongly remember that feeling. It took Gail forever to get her to open up. Therapy wasn't something that Matt had probably even considered. Although going by his reaction he could use someone to talk to.

"How'd you know about those?"

"After my rape I went through a lot."

Anger welled up in Matt at the mention of Elizabeth's past. The only decent thing about being in prison was sharing that bit of information on his way out. "I hate that you were hurt like that."

"It was horrible. The worst thing I ever went through but I did eventually heal Matt."

"Any tips?" he asked because anything close to healing sounded great.

"Talking really does help."

"Eliza..."

"I know it's scary but I promise I wouldn't lie about this."

"I trust you and Patrick. And I know you wouldn't lie to me." he promised softly looking out over the backyard, "It's just that I wouldn't want to inflict what happened onto another person."

"That bad?"

Matt nodded his head reluctantly, "Bad enough I'm not sure I can operate again. I think it's why your dad got me out."

"Then remind me to thank him," Elizabeth said wrapping an arm around him. She'd missed him when he was way. Getting him out of prison was one of the best things her dad had ever done.

"Isn't his ego big enough?"

"Probably" she agreed seriously. Jerome for the most part didn't have self esteem issues. Kate was going to fit right in. "Did I tell you Kate is going to be my new mom?"

This was news Matt. He had no idea it had gotten that serious between the two. "Julian proposed? When did this happen?"

"Okay so it hasn't yet but I know he will," she replied obviously thrilled with the idea. After everything Alexis had said to her over the years Matt couldn't blame his friend.

"Well then I'm trilled. For you and him."

"Thanks. Maybe this means things are finally settling down."

For some reason that made Matt laugh so hard he could barely breath. When he finally pulled himself together he asked, "You do know Sonny and your dad are about to start a war right?"

"Can you please leave me to my delusions?" Elizabeth begged rolling her eyes. She knew better than anyone what was about to happen. It wasn't going to be pretty all she could do was hope the people she loved made it out alive.

"Sorry. What was I thinking?"

"That my dad is a horrible influence," she deadpanned making them both laugh. It was nice to relax after all the chaos of the last few weeks. Matt had a way of making he laugh that no one else did.

"I can't argue with that."

"I should probably call it a night. Jason's coming by to see Jake early in the morning."

Matt frowned as they both stood up. He hated seeing Elizabeth so conflicted over another guy who didn't deserve her. At least in his opinion. "Still not excited about that?"

"Not really." Elizabeth shrugged not sure what to say. Part of her wanted to trust what Jason was saying. The problem was he was still married to Sam and showed no signs of changing that fact. They always had trouble communicating at this time was no different. At this point Elizabeth wasn't sure she wanted to even keep trying.

"There's no rule saying you have to be."

"I guess..."

Without giving it much thought he pulled Elizabeth into a hug. They both probably needed one. "You're a beautiful woman. Do you have any idea how many men are interested in you?"


End file.
